The Infinite Art Tournament frees art appreciation from the straitjackets of chronology and categorical conventions in order to place it in a new straitjacket of its own devising. The IAT further seeks to delight its community of bracingly intelligent and drop-dead sexy readers with glib but cheerful dispatches from the worlds of literature, film, the visual arts, music, Shakespeare, chemistry, postal ephemera, vexillology, and hagiography.
Paul Delvaux snuck by Maurice Denis in the First Round, but then lost to Richard Diebenkorn and Constantin Brancusi to leave us this week with a record of 1-2 (14 cumulative votes for, 22 against). Also leaving us this week is Otto Dix (14-22), who beat Jim Dine but fel
VI:
William Hogarth1697 - 1764British
It's Solstice Eve! In many ways we've passed the worst of this purgatory called "winter" through which we must languish between the mellow fruitfulness of autumn and the giddy intoxication of spring.But what, exactly, are the grounds for hope? Well, here in the City of Roses, where Infinite Art Tourna
After the Second Round Gainsborough/Gauguin tie, my attempt to push things along to have a Fourth Round match ready for February has resulted in... a Second Round Goya/El Greco tie! NEVER A DULL MOMENT! So, we'll chip away at the left bracket for a few weeks.S
Alberto Giacometti1901 - 1966Swiss; worked in ParisScorched Florentine sculptor Giambologna in Round 1Walloped Harold Gilman in
V:
Ferdinand Hodler1853 - 1918Swiss
December's Element of the Month:Plutonium! Pu94Atomic Mass: 244ish amuMelting Point: 639.4 °CBoiling Point: 3228 °CI have always thought of Plutonium as being more or less the non
Faceoff #1: van der Goes v. GorkyHugo van der Goes1440 - 1482DutchLost to somebody named Vincent van Gogh in Round 1.
Here's the other half of the tiebreak action that started last week. Jacques-Louis David1748 - 1825FrenchBeat 20th centur
IV:
We celebrate the first weekend of even-numbered months with Fourth Round contests here in the Infinite Art Tournament. It's an all-American December, with Tom Eakins facing off against the (to him) young whippersnapper Lionel Feininger! Who will prevail? Let's
(What is "The Songs of the Fifty States"?)
Jean Fouquet1425 - c. 1480FrenchLambasted by Tsugouharu Foujita in Round 1.Knocked Dan Flavin's lights out in
The Gainsborough v. Gauguin match ended in a tie, ushering in at long last a chance for Daumier and Jacques David a chance to jump back into the action. Here's the first of the tiebreak matches. Honoré Daumier1808 - 1879French
The Christmas Cad
David HockneyBorn 1937British; works in United States
Henri Fantin-Latour1836 - 1904FrenchSkunked by Carol Fabritius in Round 1.Pummeled Jean Fautrier in
Jean-Honoré Fragonard1732 - 1806FrenchBeat American Sam Francis without too much trouble in Round 1.Won a close one against Helen Frankenthaler in
Up to this point of the Infinite Art Tournament, there haven't been many interruptions to the orderly alphabetical entrance of First Round contestants. That will change from here on out, however, as resolution of First-Round Ties and the gradual entrance of artists from the great Play-In Tournament will be occupyi
Just add stock photography. These seemed like a real hoot when I was making them up. Now I'm not so sure.
In Phase 2, you may cast votes for up to TWO artists. One vote per artist per person. None of this "both of my votes for X" business.Phase 2, Flight 2 will be open until December 6.
George Grosz1893 - 1959GermanBeat old German master Matthias Grünewald in Round 1.
Phase 2, Flight 1 of the Play-In Tournament closes October 25!Francisco Goya1746 - 1828SpanishScored a decisive victory over Jan Va
October's Element of the Month:Protactinium! Pa91Atomic Mass: 231.03588 amuMelting Point: 1568 °CBoiling Point: around 4027 °CProtactinium is the Element between Thorium and Ura
Raoul Hausmann1886 - 1971Austrian; worked in Germany and France
(What is "The Songs of the Fifty States"?)
Faceoff #1: Gaddi v. Gaudier-BrzeskaTaddeo Gaddic.1300 - 1366FlorentineLost to Thomas Gainsborough in Round 1 by a single