Chuck Close

By Sam Watkins

“Big Self Portrait”

• 1967-1968 (4 months to complete)

• Acrylic paint and airbrush

• first of Close's mural-sized works painted from photographs

• Played with the focus on certain parts of the photograph

Life and Origins• Chuck Thomas Close

• Born July 5th 1940• American painter

and photographer • Inspired by Jackson

Pollock• Photorealist • Massive scale

portraits

“Leslie/Fingerprint”• Close’s wife

• 1986 (20th century) • h: 54.2 by w: 40.5 in /

h: 137.7 by w: 102.9 cm • Contemporary /

American• Materials : Direct

gravure • Included in first solo

exhibition

Gravure printing

• Gravure printing, also known as intaglio, is a high quality and expensive printing technique that uses direct contact between an etched copper plate and the paper.

• While the plate has a relatively high cost, this technique is the best way to print high quality, large volume materials such as brochures, magazines, annual reports and mail order catalogues.

• There are sheet-fed and roll-fed gravure printing processes; the latter is often called rotogravure.

Conflict It's like a car accident, in a way.

There's a sense of calm; time slows down ‘

1988 (mid-career) suffered seizure• paralyzed from shoulder down• Referred to this dayas “The Event”

Recovery• continued to paint on

with a brush strapped onto his wrist with tape

• paralysis restricted his ability to paint as meticulously as before

• he adopted materials and techniques that did not lend themselves well to achieving a photorealistic effect

“Self Portrait”•2004-2005

•Oil on canvas•102 by 86•One of many

self portraits

• http://www.artnet.com/artwork/51842/443/leslie--fingerprint.html

• http://www.michaelarnoldart.com/Chuck%20Close.htm

• http://www.esquire.com/features/what-ive-learned/ESQ0102-JAN_CLOSE