Tough Start
• Chuck Close was born on July 5, 1940, in Monroe, Washington.
• Suffered from severe dyslexia so did poorly in school.
• Close also suffered from a neuromuscular condition, leaving him unable to play sports.
• Got a kidney infection and was bed ridden for a year.
Found Art
• Chucks parents where artistic and gave a lot of support
• With his struggles at school chuck found solace in art
Influence's
• In 1954 chuck went to a exhibition of Jackson Pollock and saw al his paintings.
• Jacksons style influenced chuck tremendously and made chuck want to become a professional artist.
Mural, 1943 by Jackson pollock
The Rise of Chuck
• Chuck close went to Washington University and graduated in 1962
• At this time chucks work was very abstract
1960By Chuck close
Change
• Chuck goes to Yale of Fine Arts
• During this time in Yale chucks work goes from abstract to high photo realism.
• This becomes Chucks signature style
Mark, 1979. acrylic on canvas, 9' x 7' (29.6 x 23 m)
knitting
• Chuck developed a process he called “knitting”
• Used exacting grids from huge large frame polaroid pictures of his models
• Then recreated it on canvas in oil.
Perfection
• Chuck painted his friends family and himself
• He worked big and close up with extreme detail.
• Painted every flaw on every patch of skin, mouth, nasal cavity.
• These paintings were so photo realistic it would be hard to tell the difference.
Big Nude, 1967. oil on canvas, 117 x 253" (9'9" x 21').
• At the time this kind of art had never been done before
The inject printer
• Chucks application of colour was new and worked extremely well.
• This application was so revolutionary that it helped the development of the ink jet printer.
Self portrait
• In 1968 Chuck did a famous self portrait
• This is a good example of how he paints every flaw
• Hair is a mess
• Blemishes in the skin
• Facial features are all done as they are nothing is changed.
Phil
• In 1969 Chuck did a portrait of Phillip Glass.
• Phillip glass was a extremely well known composer at the time
• This became one of the most famous and recognizable pieces for Chuck
Fame
• In the 1970’s Chucks work is shown is some of the worlds finest gallery’s
• Chuck is widely considered one of Americas best contemporary artists
Bad luck
• In 1988 close suffered a sudden rupture of the spinal artery.
• Close was left nearly entirely paralyzed
• After lots of physical therapy Close was permanently confined to a wheel chair
• But had partial use of his limbs
Carry On
• After the accident Close continues with his work despite his physical limitations.
• Close now paints with a brush taped to his wrist.
Change in style
• After the accident Close goes back to a abstract style
• Still doing portraits but with less precision
• This does not effect Close’s reputation and standing at all
Self-Portrait, 1997. oil on canvas, 102 x 84" (259.1 x 213.4 cm).