Tuesday, July 25, 2023

Game: American Art Finals Bracket

America has a rich legacy of the arts. But which pieces are the *most* essential - the quintessential artistic achievements of our nation? Well, what better way to determine it than a standard football bracket?

Each major category of the arts will be represented by two iconic works, and then go to the next round against a different artistic medium.

Note: Only American works of art are considered - not works that predate the United States, or made by non-Americans. (All apologies to the Statue of Liberty!)


Round One: Paintings and Poems

Paintings:

Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze

American Gothic by Grant Wood

Poems:

"The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus

"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou


Round Two: Photography and Novels

Photography:

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima by Joe Rosenthal

Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange

Novels:

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Round Three: Film and Posters

Film: 

The Wizard of Oz

The Godfather

Posters:

"I Want You!" by James Flagg

"We Can Do It!" by J. Howard Miller


Round Four: Dance and Decorative Arts

Dance:

Appalachian Spring by Martha Graham


Jumpin' Jive by The Mills Brothers

Decorative Arts:

Tiffany Lamp by Clara Driscoll

Lounge Chair by Charles and Ray Eames


Round Five: Monuments and Drama

Monuments:

Mount Rushmore by Gutzon and Lincoln Borglum

Lincoln Memorial by Henry Bacon and Daniel Chester French

Drama:

Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda

The Crucible by Arthur Miller


Round Six: Sculpture and Comedy

Sculpture:

The Puritan by Augustus Saint-Gaudens

Bronco Buster by Frederic Remington

Comedy:

Richard Pryor: Live in Concert

George Carlin: Jammin' in New York


Round Seven: Classical Music and Architecture

Classical Music:

"Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin

"Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa

Architecture:

Empire State Building by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon

White House by James Hoban


Round Eight: Popular Music and Television

Popular Music:

"Respect" by Aretha Franklin

"What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong

Television:

The Sopranos

I Love Lucy


What does your bracket look like?

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