Chuck Close
Chuck Close was an American artist renowned for his large-scale portraits, primarily associated with the photorealism movement, which emphasizes creating paintings that closely resemble photographs. Born on July 5, 1940, in Monroe, Washington, Close showed artistic promise from a young age, supported by his mother, a trained painter. Despite facing significant challenges, including severe dyslexia and prosopagnosia (face blindness), he pursued his passion for art, ultimately earning degrees from the University of Washington and Yale.
Close gained prominence in the 1960s and 1970s for his unique technique of creating portraits using a grid system, where he painted individual blocks that collectively formed the likeness of his subjects. His life took a dramatic turn in 1988 when a blood clot left him paralyzed from the shoulders down, yet he adapted to continue painting using specialized equipment. Close's later works featured a more vibrant color palette and retained the raw, unrefined qualities that characterized his earlier pieces.
Throughout his career, Close's contributions to the art world were significant, and he became known as one of the most important portrait painters in the United States. He continued to influence the art community until his passing on August 19, 2021, at the age of 81.
Chuck Close
Artist
- Born: July 5, 1940
- Place of Birth: Monroe, Washington
- Died: August 19, 2021
- Place of Death: Oceanside, New York
- Place of birth: Monroe, Washington
Education: University of Washington; Yale
Significance: Chuck Close is an American artist who is best known for painting large portraits. Close's early work was part of the photorealism movement, in which paintings look almost identical to photographs.
Background
Charles Thomas Close was born on July 5, 1940, in Monroe, Washington. His parents were Leslie and Mildred Close. His father had many different jobs, and his mother was a trained painter who was interested in music. Close's parents encouraged him to take part in the arts. He was involved in extracurricular activities, and he took art lessons starting when he was eight years old.
When Close was only eleven years old, his father died. Later in life, Close admitted that it was one of the most difficult events he has had to bear. He also said, however, that facing that hardship early in life helped him deal with other challenges in the future.
Another difficulty Close endured was living with severe dyslexia, which made it hard for him to read and remember what he read. Close was told that he should not apply to college because of his learning disability. Close also suffered from prosopagnosia, or face blindness, which meant it was difficult for him to recognize people by their faces. Nevertheless, Close attended a junior college and studied visual arts. Because of his learning disability, Close did not remember things he read, and he had to dictate his papers to a typist.
Despite the struggles, Close did well enough at the junior college to enroll in the University of Washington. He graduated with a degree in art in 1962. He then enrolled in the graduate art program at Yale, in part to get a student deferment from the Vietnam War. Close continued to establish his style and began working on portraits.
Life's Work
During the 1960s and 1970s, Close first became well known in the art world. He was interested in photorealism, an art movement in which the paintings look just like photographs. He focused his work on portraits. He often created huge portraits, and he would use photographs of his subjects to create his art.
Close established a unique painting style using a grid. He painted blocks inside the grid. Because of this, Close did not actually paint features (e.g., noses, eyes, cheeks). Instead, he painted the individual blocks, which together formed the subject's face. His early works were often black and white.
Close's life changed dramatically in 1988, when he was forty-nine years old. He developed a blood clot in an artery. As a result, he was paralyzed below the shoulders.
At the time, he was not sure if he would ever be able to paint again. He underwent occupational therapy at the hospital, and his wife encouraged him to start painting again. Although Close never regained the ability to walk, he slowly regained the ability to paint. He used a wheelchair accessible easel and braces to help him hold a paintbrush.
Ten years after Close's blood clot, the Museum of Modern Art held a retrospective of his work. The show included more than ninety paintings, drawings, and photographs, and it featured works from before and after his health issues. Reviewers found it difficult to tell the difference between his former works and the latter. One difference that Close noted in his work was that he used a more vibrant palette after his blood clot.
Close is a photographer as well as a painter. He is particularly interested in daguerreotypes, which are the oldest style of photographs. They were printed on silver or copper. These types of photographs have sharp details and limited color. Close's photographs, just like his paintings, are known for their raw, striking qualities. His subjects' flaws can be seen plainly, and he does not try to make his subjects look staged or refined.
Impact
Close has influenced the art world in a number of ways. In the 1970s, he was part of the photorealism movement. The popularity of that movement waned over time, but Close's work remained prominent. Even after Close became paralyzed, his work remained vibrant and desirable to audiences. He is known as one of the most significant portrait painters in the United States.
Personal Life
Close was married to his first wife, Leslie, for more than forty years. They had two daughters, Georgia and Maggie. He later married Sienna Shields, a performance artist. In 2015, Close was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. Close passed away on August 19, 2021, in Oceanside, New York, from congestive heart failure. At the time of his death, he was eighty-one years old.
Bibliography
"An Artist Finds the Perfect Red." Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company Inc., 6 Mar. 2014. Web. 24 May 2016.
"Chuck Close." The Art Story. The Art Story Foundation. Web. 24 May 2016.
"Chuck Close Gets Up Close and Personal." Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited, 10 Dec. 2012. Web. 24 May 2016.
"Chuck Close's Advice to His Younger Self." CBS. CBS Interactive Inc., 10 Apr. 2012. Web. 26 May 2016.
"Important Art by Chuck Close." The Art Story. The Art Story Foundation. Web. 24 May 2016.
Johnson, Caitlin. "Chuck Close: Contemporary Art Rock Star." CBS. CBS Interactive Inc., 8 Mar. 2007. Web. 26 May 2016.
Mayer, Petra. "Chuck Close, Creator of Gigantic Portraits, Has Died at 81." NPR, 19 Aug. 2021, www.npr.org/2021/08/19/1029495330/chuck-close-painter-gigantic-portraits-dead. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
Valeo, Tom. "Noted Photographer Chuck Close Transcends His Face Blindness." Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Bay Times, 26 Jan. 2013. Web. 24 May 2016.