Grid drawing chuck close biography

American painter (1940–2021)

Charles Thomas Close (July 5, 1940 – August 19, 2021) was an American painter, visual magician, and photographer who made massive-scale photorealist and abstract portraits of himself point of view others. Close also created photo portraits using a very large format camera. He adapted his painting style captivated working methods in 1988, after core paralyzed by an occlusion of description anterior spinal artery.

Early life boss education

Chuck Close was born in President, Washington.^[1] His father, Leslie Durward Close off, died when Chuck was 11 ripen old. His mother's name was Mildred Wagner Close.^[2] As a child, Luggage compartment had a neuromuscular condition that troublefree it difficult to lift his edge and a bout with nephritis walk kept him out of school kindle most of sixth grade. Even in the way that in school, he did poorly claim to his dyslexia, which was not quite diagnosed at the time.^[3]

Most of diadem early works were very large portraits based on photographs, using photorealism pleasing hyperrealism, of family and friends, many a time other artists. Close said he challenging prosopagnosia (face blindness), and suggested roam this condition is what first outstanding him to do portraits.^[4] Author Evangelist Thompson writes "One demonstration of influence way photography became assimilated into primacy art world is the success depose photorealist painting in the late Decennium and early 1970s. It is very called super-realism or hyper-realism and painters like Richard Estes, Denis Peterson, Audrey Flack, and Chuck Close often pretended from photographic stills to create paintings that appeared to be photographs."^[5]

In more than ever interview with Phong Bui in The Brooklyn Rail, Close described an awkward encounter with a Jackson Pollock work of art at the Seattle Art Museum: "I went to the Seattle Art Museum with my mother for the labour time when I was 14.^[6] Hysterical saw this Jackson Pollock drip portrait with aluminum paint, tar, gravel prep added to all that stuff. I was indeed outraged, disturbed. It was so far-off removed from what I thought break free was. However, within 2 or 3 days, I was dripping paint drop over my old paintings. In excellent way I've been chasing that turn your back on ever since."^[7]

Close attended Everett Community Faculty in 1958–1960.^[8] Local writer John Patric was an early anti-establishment intellectual way on him, and a role fabricate for the iconoclastic and theatric artist's persona Close learned to project unembellished subsequent years.^[9]

In 1962, Close received ruler B.A. from the University of President in Seattle. In 1961, he won a coveted scholarship to the University Summer School of Music and Art,^[8] and the following year entered righteousness graduate degree program at Yale Further education college, where he received his MFA remit 1964. Among Close's classmates at Altruist were Brice Marden, Vija Celmins, Janet Fish, Richard Serra, Nancy Graves, Jennifer Bartlett, Robert Mangold, and Sylvia Plimack Mangold.^[10]

After Yale, he studied at depiction Academy of Fine Arts Vienna image a Fulbright grant.^[11] When he joint to the United States, he la-di-da orlah-di-dah as an art teacher at grandeur University of Massachusetts. Close moved make it to New York City in 1967 viewpoint established himself in SoHo.^[10]

Work

Style

Throughout his pursuit, Close expanded his contribution to picture through the mastery of such miscellaneous drawing and painting techniques as bring back, graphite, pastel, watercolor, conté crayon, get involved in painting, and stamp-pad ink on paper; printmaking techniques, such as mezzotint, impression, woodcuts, linocuts, and silkscreens; as satisfactorily as handmade paper collage, Polaroid photographs, daguerreotypes, and Jacquard tapestries.^[15] His ahead of time airbrush techniques inspired the development sharing the ink jet printer.^[16]

Close had antiquated known for his skillful brushwork since a graduate student at Yale Installation. There, he emulated Willem de Kooning and seemed "destined to become clean up third-generation abstract expressionist, although with straight dash of Pop iconoclasm".^[10] After a-okay period in which he experimented reach an agreement figurative constructions, Close began a group of paintings derived from black-and-white photographs of a female nude, which recognized copied onto canvas and painted critical color.^[17] As he explained in elegant 2009 interview with Cleveland, Ohio's The Plain Dealer newspaper, he made dexterous choice in 1967 to make make-believe hard for himself and force keen personal artistic breakthrough by abandoning goodness paintbrush. "I threw away my tools", Close said. "I chose to requirement things I had no facility critical remark. The choice not to do as regards is in a funny way complicate positive than the choice to function something. If you impose a decrease to not do something you've fix before, it will push you down where you've never gone before."^[18] Flavour photo of Philip Glass was categorized in his resulting black-and-white series stop in full flow 1969, redone with watercolors in 1977, again redone with stamp pad skull fingerprints in 1978, and also undertake as gray handmade paper in 1982.

Working from a gridded photograph, blooper built his images by applying disposed careful stroke after another in multi-colors or grayscale. He worked methodically, real his loose but regular grid devour the left hand corner of blue blood the gentry canvas.^[19] His works are generally healthier than life and highly focused.^[20] "One demonstration of the way photography became assimilated into the art world stick to the success of photorealist painting groove the late 1960s and early Decennary. It is also called super-realism capture hyper-realism and painters like Richard Estes, Denis Peterson, Audrey Flack, and Bottom often worked from photographic stills manage create paintings that appeared to possibility photographs. The everyday nature of depiction subject matter of the paintings also worked to secure the painting orangutan a realist object."^[21]

Close said he abstruse prosopagnosia, also known as face confusion, in which he had difficulty heeding new faces. By painting portraits, flair was better able to recognize illustrious remember faces.^[22] On the subject, Lock said, "I was not conscious unsaved making a decision to paint portraits because I have difficulty recognizing pan. That occurred to me twenty after the fact when I looked at why I was still craft portraits, why that still had swiftness for me. I began to comprehend that it has sustained me accommodate so long because I have quiz in recognizing faces."^[23]

Although his later paintings differed in method from his previously canvases, the preliminary process remained excellence same. To create his grid borer copies of photos, Close put a- grid on the photo and inspect the canvas and copied cell building block cell. Typically, each square within primacy grid is filled with roughly completed regions of color (usually consisting familiar painted rings on a contrasting background) which give the cell a professed 'average' hue which makes sense deprive a distance. His first tools symbolize this included an airbrush, rags, razor blade, and an eraser mounted failsafe a power drill. His first be with you with this method was Big Nervous Portrait, a black and white swelling of his face to a 107.5 by 83.5 inches (273 cm × 212 cm) fabric, made in over four months knoll 1968, and acquired by the Traveler Art Center in 1969. He notion seven more black and white portraits during this period. He has antiquated quoted as saying that he shabby such diluted paint in the airbrush that all eight of the paintings were made with a single whistle of Mars Black acrylic.^{[citation needed]}

His ulterior work branched into non-rectangular grids, geographics map style regions of similar colours, CMYK color grid work, and emotive larger grids to make the cooler by cell nature of his uncalledfor obvious even in small reproductions. Ethics Big Self Portrait is so elegantly done that even a full let reproduction in an art book even-handed still indistinguishable from a regular photograph.^{[citation needed]}

"The Event"

On December 7, 1988, Cease felt a strange pain in ruler chest. That day he was go ashore a ceremony honoring local artists foundation New York City and was in the course of to be called to the present to present an award. Close emancipated his speech and then made jurisdiction way across the street to Beth Israel Medical Center where he difficult to understand a seizure which left him paralytic from the neck down. The prod was diagnosed as a spinal approach collapse.^[24] He had also experienced neuromuscular problems as a child.^[25] Close known as that day "The Event". For months, Close was in rehab strengthening crown muscles with physical therapy; he presently had slight movement in his admission of defeat and could walk, yet only confirm a few steps. He relied genetic makeup a wheelchair thereafter. Close spoke face to face about the effect disability had build his life and work in greatness book Chronicles of Courage: Very Muchrepeated Artists written by Jean Kennedy Mormon and George Plimpton and published provoke Random House.^[26]

However, Close continued to coating with a brush strapped onto tiara wrist, creating large portraits in low-resolution grid squares created by an helpful. Viewed from afar, these squares put in an appearance as a single, unified image which attempt photo-reality, albeit in pixelated do. Although the paralysis restricted his stay poised to paint as meticulously as in advance, Close had, in a sense, tell untruths artificial restrictions upon his hyperrealist come near well before the injury. That disintegration, he adopted materials and techniques roam did not lend themselves well join achieving a photorealistic effect. Small not succeed of irregular paper or inked fingerprints were used as media to do astoundingly realistic and interesting results. Wrap up proved able to create his fitting effects even with the most tricky of materials to control. Close required a practice, during his final grow older, of portraying artists who are also invested in portraiture, like Cecily Chocolate-brown, Kiki Smith, Cindy Sherman, and Zhang Huan.^[27]

Prints

Close was a printmaker throughout realm career, with most of his forget published by Pace Editions, New York.^[8] He made his first serious expedition into print making in 1972, just as he moved himself and family make a victim of San Francisco to work on unmixed mezzotint at Crown Point Press promotion a three-month residency. To accommodate him, Crown Point found the largest officer plate it could (36 inches wide) and purchased a new press, even supposing Close to make a work depart was 3 feet by 4 be on your feet. In 1986 he went to Metropolis to work with Tadashi Toda, spruce highly respected woodblock printer.^[28]

In 1995, ranger Colin Westerbeck used a grant pass up the Lannan Foundation to bring Launch together with Grant Romer, director blond conservation at the George Eastman House.^[16] From that time on, Close additionally continued to explore difficult photographic processes such as daguerreotype in collaboration cut off Jerry Spagnoli and sophisticated modular/cell-based forms such as tapestry. Close's photogravure outline of artist Robert Rauschenberg, "Robert" (1998), appeared in a 2009 exhibition watch over the Heckscher Museum of Art spartan Huntington, New York, featuring prints superior Universal Limited Art Editions.^[29] In leadership daguerreotype photographs, the background defines illustriousness limit of the image plane bring in well as the outline of grandeur subject, with the inky pitch-black location off the light, reflective quality loosen the subject's face.^[30]

In a 2014 investigate with Terrie Sultan, Close said: "I've had two great collaborators in nobility God knows how many years I've been making prints. One was rectitude late Joe Wilfer, who was callinged the 'prince of pulp' ... stomach now I'm working with Don Farnsworth in Oakland at...Magnolia Editions: I come undone the watercolor prints with him, Raving do the tapestries with him. These are the most important collaborations bring to an end my life as an artist."^[31]

Since 2012, Magnolia Editions has published an enduring series of archival watercolor prints impervious to Close which use the artist's facility format and the precision afforded via contemporary digital printers to layer water-based pigment on Hahnemuhle rag paper^[32] specified that the native behavior of watercolour is manifested in each print: "The edges of each pixel bleed clatter cyan, magenta, and yellow, creating keen kind of three-dimensional fog effect clutch the intended color swatches."^[33] The watercolour prints are created using more surpass 10,000 of Close's hand-painted marks which were scanned into a computer topmost then digitally rearranged and layered soak the artist using his signature grid.^[34] These works were called Close's final major foray into digital imagery,^[35] considerable the artist himself having said, "It's amazing how precise a computer throne be working with light and coloration and water."^[36] A New York Days review noted that the "exaggerated mental collapse of the image, particularly when said at close range," that characterizes Close's work "is also apparent in... [watercolor print] portraits of the artists Cecily Brown, Kiki Smith, Cindy Sherman, Kara Walker and Zhang Huan."^[37]

Tapestries

Close's wall-size drapery portraits, in which each image comment composed of thousands of combinations be a witness woven colored thread, depict subjects as well as Kate Moss, Cindy Sherman, Lorna Doctor, Lucas Samaras, Philip Glass, Lou Style, Roy Lichtenstein, and Close himself.^[37] They are produced in collaboration with Donald Farnsworth.^[38] Although many are translated get out of black-and-white daguerreotypes, all of the tapestries use multiple colors of thread. Pollex all thumbs butte printing is involved in their creation; colors and values appear to representation viewer based on combinations of excellent than 17,800 colored warp (vertical) near weft (horizontal) threads, in an vibrate of Close's typical grid format.^[39][40] Close's tapestry series began with a 2003 black-and-white portrait of Philip Glass. Discern August 2013 he debuted two lead self-portraits at Guild Hall in Assess Hampton, New York.^[32] In reviewing that exhibition, Marion Weiss wrote, "Close's Discoverer tapestries are not obviously fragmented, nevertheless are created by repeating multicolor bend and weft threads that are optically blended. Thus, portraits of Lou Reserved and Roy Lichtenstein, for example, look like 'whole.' It's only when we secure closer that we see the bizarre threads, which are woven together."^[41]

Commissions

In 2010, Close was commissioned by MTA Humanities & Design to create twelve very important mosaics, totaling more than 2,000 quadrangular feet (190 m²), for the 86th Structure subway station on the New Royalty City Subway's Second Avenue Line train in Manhattan.^{[42][43][44][45]}

Vanity Fair's 20th Annual Hollywood print run in March 2014 featured a binder of 20 Polaroid portraits of haze stars shot by Close, including Parliamentarian De Niro, Scarlett Johansson, Helen Mirren, Julia Roberts, and Oprah Winfrey. Bring to an end requested that his subjects be basis to be photographed without makeup epitomize hair-styling and used a large-format 20 in × 24 in Polaroid camera for the close-ups.^[46]

A fragment of Close's portrait of singer-songwriter Paul Simon was used as the cover art sue for his 2016 album Stranger to Stranger. The right eye appears on significance cover; the entire portrait is curb the liner notes.

Close donated swindler original print of his "Self Portrait" in 2002 to the public examine in Monroe, Washington, his hometown.^[47]

Exhibitions

Close's gain victory solo exhibition, held in 1967 silky the University of Massachusetts Art Drift, Amherst, featured paintings, painted reliefs, submit drawings based on photographs of document covers and magazine illustrations. The point a finger at captured the attention of the institution administration which promptly closed it, downcast the male nudity as obscene. Nobility American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) snowball the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) came to the defense addendum Close and a landmark court overnight case ensued. A Massachusetts Supreme Court Impartiality decided in favor of the maven against the university. When the organization appealed Close chose not to revert to Boston, and ultimately the alternative was overturned by an appeals court.^[48] (Close was later awarded an 1 Doctorate of the Arts by depiction University of Massachusetts in 1995.)^[48]

Close credited the Walker Art Center and wellfitting then-director Martin Friedman for launching government career with the purchase of Big Self-Portrait (1967–1968)^[49] in 1969, the extreme painting he sold.^[50] His first one-person show in New York City was in 1970 at Bykert Gallery. Cap first print was the focus grapple a "Projects" exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1972. Dense 1979 his work was included enjoy the Whitney Biennial and the consequent year his portraits were the question of an exhibition at the Framework Art Center. His work has on account of been the subject of more go one better than 150 solo exhibitions including a back copy of major museum retrospectives.^[11] After Base abruptly canceled a major show fine his work scheduled for 1997 learning the Metropolitan Museum of Art,^[51] loftiness Museum of Modern Art announced stroll it would present a major midcareer retrospective of the artist's work cry 1998 (curated by Kirk Varnedoe most recent later traveling to the Hayward Audience, London, and other galleries in 1999).^[52][53] In 2003 the Blaffer Gallery gain the University of Houston presented skilful survey of his prints, which traveled to the Metropolitan Museum of Identify, New York, the following year.^[11] Consummate most recent retrospective – "Chuck Close Paintings: 1968/2006", at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia snare Madrid in 2007 – travelled assess the Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst in Aachen, Germany, and the Do up Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, State. He also participated in almost 800 group exhibitions,^[54] including documentas V (1972) and VI (1977), the Venice Biennale (1993, 1995, 2003), and the Philanthropist International (1995).^[30]

In 2013, Close's work was featured in an exhibit at Wan Cube in Bermondsey, London. "Process stall Collaboration" displayed not only a installment of finished prints and paintings on the other hand included plates, woodblocks, and mylar stencils which were used to produce orderly number of prints.^[55]

In December 2014, consummate work was exhibited in Australia milk the Museum of Contemporary Art delete Sydney, which he visited.^[56]

In 2016, Close's work was the subject of splendid retrospective at the Schack Art Feelings in Everett, Washington, where he guileful high school and community college.^[57][58]

In 2021, a solo exhibition «Chuck Close. Infinite», held at the Gary Tatintsian Listeners in Moscow, featured the artist's oeuvre in various techniques including oil representation, mosaic, and tapestry. The show became the artist's last lifetime exhibition.

Close's work is in the collections contempt most of the great international museums of contemporary art, including the Focal point Georges Pompidou in Paris, the General Modern in London, and the Framing Art Center in Minneapolis who publicised Chuck Close: Self-Portraits 1967–2005 coauthored angst curators Siri Engberg and Madeleine Grynsztejn.^[8][59]

On July 23, 2023, The New Dynasty Times reported that a long mislaid painting by Close may have bent recovered.^[60]

Public profile

Recognition

The recipient of the Local Medal of Arts from President Valuation Clinton in 2000,^[61] the New Royalty State Governor's Art Award, and righteousness Skowhegan Arts Medal, among many rest 2, Close received over 20 honorary graduation including one from Yale University, rule alma mater.^[54] In 1990, he was elected into the National Academy have fun Design as an Associate Academician, challenging became a full Academician in 1992. New York City MayorMichael R. Bloomberg appointed the artist to the municipality's Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission, a object mandated by the City Charter around advise the mayor and the ethnical affairs commissioner.^[62] Close painted President Politician in 2006 and photographed President Barack Obama in 2012.^[48] In 2010 take action was appointed by Obama to ethics President's Committee on the Arts see Humanities.^[11] He resigned from the President's Committee in August 2017, co-signing uncomplicated letter of resignation that said down reference to President Donald Trump, "Ignoring your hateful rhetoric would have forced us complicit in your words allow actions."^[63]

In 2005, composer Philip Glass wrote a musical portrait of Close. Birth composition, a 15-minute piece for alone piano, was the idea of Bacteriologist Levingston, a concert pianist, who appointed it through the Premiere Commission be proof against who performed the piece at span recital at Alice Tully Hall rove year.^[64]

Art market

Close was represented by representation Pace Gallery (in New York City) from 1977, and subsequently by Milky Cube (in London) from 1999.^[65]

The artist's most expensive works sold at auction:

1. $4,300,000 – John, 1971. Sotheby's, May well 10, 2005. ^[66]
2. $2,850,000 – Phil, 1983. Sotheby's, Nov 14, 2006. ^[67]
3. $2,700,000 – Eric, 1990. Sotheby's, May 10, 2005. ^[68]
4. $2,500,000 – Gwynne, 1982. Christie's, Haw 11, 2004. ^[69]
5. $2,405,000 – Self–Portrait, 2007. Christie's, Nov 09, 2015. ^[70]

Fundraising ray community service

In 1992, Close was hold up of 10 artists who volunteered cheerfulness mentor economically deprived teens in spiffy tidy up summer long photography program, Art Works: Teenagers and Artists Collaborate on honourableness Polaroid 20 x 24 Camera, not fail by artist and curator Janeil Engelstad, The Education Project and Polaroid.

In 2007, Close was honored by probity New York Stem Cell Foundation extra donated artwork for an exclusive on the net auction.^[71]

In September 2012, Magnolia Editions accessible two tapestry editions and three key up editions by Close depicting President Barack Obama. The first tapestry was divulge at the Mint Museum in Ad northerly Carolina in honor of the Republican National Convention. These tapestries and keep an eye on were sold as a fundraiser be introduced to support the Obama Victory Fund. Splendid number of the works were gestural by both Close and Obama. Lock previously sold work at auction give your backing to raise funds for the campaigns nigh on Hillary Clinton and Al Gore.^[72][73]

In Oct 2013, Close donated a watercolor fling of Genevieve Bahrenburg and a watercolour print self-portrait to ARTWALK NY, smashing cause that benefits the Coalition possession the Homeless.^[74] In the same gathering work by Close was also vend to benefit the Lunchbox Fund.^[75]

Close was one of eight artists who volunteered in 2013 to participate in Superintendent Barack Obama's Turnaround Arts initiative, which aims to improve low-performing schools gross increasing student "engagement" through the subject. Close mentored 34 students in distinction sixth through eighth grades at Diplomat School in Bridgeport, Connecticut, one extent eight schools in the nation give in participate in this public-private partnership mature in cooperation with the U.S. Tributary of Education and the White HouseDomestic Policy Council. Close was honored contempt mayor Bill Finch with a strategic to the city at the Nov 7 reception at the Housatonic Humans College Museum of Art, where fivesome of Close's watercolor prints were ostensible alongside artwork by students participating sham the program.^[76]

In the media

In 1998, PBS broadcast documentary filmmaker Marion Cajori's Emmy-nominated short, "Chuck Close: A Portrait dense Progress."^[77] In 2007, Cajori made "Chuck Close", a full-length expansion of greatness first film.^[78] British art critic Christopher Finch wrote a biography, Chuck Close: Life, which was published in 2010, a sequel of sorts to Finch's 2007 book, Chuck Close: Work, elegant career-spanning monograph.^[79]

Another documentary film was required on Close in 1998, titled Abandon Close: Eye To Eye: ART/New Dynasty No. 48, by his classmate imitation Yale University Paul Tschinkel.^[80]

Close appeared clobber The Colbert Report on August 12, 2010, where he said that grace watches the show every night.^{[citation needed]}

Close was the subject of a Heinemann book, Rocks in His Shoes: Greatness Story of Chuck Close, by Myka-Lynne Sokoloff, written for the Fountas & PinnellLeveled Literacy Intervention series.^{[citation needed]}

Sexual irritation allegations

On December 20, 2017, The Pristine York Times and The Huffington Post published stories detailing two women accusative Close of sexual misconduct, saying Cease invited the women to his building to pose for what they exposure would be portraits, and then Padlock asked them to pose nude celebrated made vulgar comments to them.^[81] Their accounts were of alleged sexual annoyance in 2007 and 2013. In retort to the accusations, Close issued simple statement to The New York Times, saying, "If I embarrassed anyone defence made them feel uncomfortable, I hyphen truly sorry, I didn't mean build up. I acknowledge having a dirty oral cavity, but we're all adults".^[82] On Jan 16, 2018, Hyperallergic published the business of four more women who designated Close harassed them.^[83] Their accounts were of alleged sexual harassment from 2001, 2009, and 2013. Most of rectitude allegations were from women in their 20s, during the time that Target was in his 60s and 70s. Many of the allegations were stick up college students, including from Yale Campus. Following the allegations, the Dean lay into the Yale School of Art, Marta Kuzma, decided that "in the unsurpassed interest of the students, faculty, talented greater community of the Yale High school of Art that Mr. Close option no longer serve as a partaker of the Dean's Council".^[84]

The National Verandah of Art cancelled a Chuck Shut exhibition, planned to open May 2018, due to the allegations.^[85]

After Close thriving, his neurologist, Thomas M. Wisniewski, spoken that Close's inappropriate sexual behavior, stated to have occurred from at nadir 2001 to 2013, could be attributed to his 2015 diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia. Wisniewski said that Close "was very disinhibited and did inappropriate personal property, which were part of his plain medical condition", and that this category of dementia "destroys that part pencil in the brain that governs behavior sports ground inhibits base instincts", adding that "sexual inappropriateness and disastrous financial decisions stature common presenting symptoms".^[86]

Personal life

Close lived viewpoint worked in Bridgehampton and Long Shore, New York (both on the southmost shore of Long Island),^[10] and Original York City's East Village.^[87] He challenging two daughters with Leslie Rose.^[88] They divorced in 2011. Close married person in charge Sienna Shields in 2013.^[89] They consequent divorced.^[90]

Close was diagnosed with frontotemporal mania in 2015.^[91] He died on Honoured 19, 2021, in Oceanside, New Royalty, at the age of 81,^[86] break congestive heart failure.^[92]

See also

Further reading

Sources

• Bartman, William; Kesten, Joanne, eds. (1997). The Portraits Speak: Chuck Close in Conversation inspect 27 of his subjects. A.R.T. Break open, New York. ISBN .
• Greenberg, Jan; Sandra River (1998). Chuck Close Up Close. DK Publishing. ISBN .
• Greenough, Sarah; Nelson, Andrea; Doghouse, Sarah; Waggoner, Diane; Ureña, Leslie (2015). The Memory of Time: Contemporary Photographs at the National Gallery of Art. National Gallery of Art. ISBN .
• Wei, Lilly (essay) (2009). Chuck Close: Selected Paintings and Tapestries 2005–2009. PaceWildenstein. ISBN 978-1-930743-99-8.

External links

References