Critical Artist Study - Chuck Close by Chan Hiu Ching

CRITICAL

ARTIST STUDY

CHUCK CLOSE BY CINDY CHAN

Contents

Introduction

Big Self-Portrait(1968)

Susan(1971)

Self-Portrait/String(1983)

Georgia(1984)

Alex II(1989)

Chuck Close VS Andy Warhol

Conclusion

Bibliography

INTRODUCTION Chuck Close(Charles Thomas Close), born

He admired portraits painted for the

in Monore, Washington, on July 5, 1940. In a regular American lower-middle-class family, and his hometown is economy built primarily on lumber and paper mills,(maybe this is one of the reason he would make art from paper bulp.)

cover of Time by artists like Boris Chaliapin and Ernest Hamlin Baker, and obsessed with emulating other School artists black-and-white reproductions, mastering their styles when he was a teenager. And these make a foundation for his later work's style.

He has the neuro-muscular problem since he was a kid, and difficulty reading(dyslexics, artitsts like Andy Wa r h o l a n d P i c a s s o a l s o h ave t h i s condition.) And also have a peospagnosia problem, can't recognise faces, even close relatives. But the boy's alleged disabilities were not limited by those problems. His parents helped him to encourage his strengths, bought him real paints like Weber Oil Color, and this started his interest on drawing.

He got married on 1967 Christmas Eve, and he started to set up a studio of his own with his wife(Leslie Close) at the Soho in 1967. By then, Close's first largesclae imagery painting the 'Big Nude' was made, affected by many artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Alex After having his first large-scale work, he starts to use different forms of elements to perform his work, such as producing photo-imitative paintings in full color, pastels, using overlaid colors , constellation of squares, pulp paper pieces, superimposed dots and dabs of pigment, on portraits.

He studied in Everett Junior College, and after 2 years he was able to transfer to University of Washington in Seattle(Bachelor of Arts), later won a scholarship to Yale University(Master of Fine Arts). 03

Unluckily, he was paraylzed because of the spontaneous occlusion of the anterior spinal artery, But still, he didn't give up, continue his career and now live in New York.

Big Self-Portrait (1968) Acrylic on canvas, 107 1/2 x 83 1/2 in

This is the first self portrait of Chuck, actually this photography was a selfie, when Chuck was alone in the studio, using a borrowed camera to take this photo. Then he selected one of the 11exposures, started with two maquettes printed with slightly light and dark. so that he can read the detail. Then transfer a pencil version of the photograph to the canvas(273x212.1cm). took an airbush loaded with acrylic, making hightlights with removing the paint, since he experimented that using white paint is not gonna work since a deadening effect will be appear. In this black-and-white portrait, Chuck was with long and unkempt hair, unshaven moustache, also a weird angle, dramatic lighting, smoking ciggarette, just like a tramp. I think this is because of how randomly Chuck made this work. Cameras were not as advanced as today at that time, so Chuck had to calculate the angle, and metering by himself, also need to measure the distance of the lens, so the weird low angle is formed, and explained why he looked so unruly in the portrait. "Erratic anthology of styles and techniques had gone into producing Big Nude(his former work)" Chuck said, So this is why the techinique on the work was emphasised the black-and-white. I appreciate how he will review from his former work, and the way on how he prepare before starting the painting. Making use the grid on canvas to ensure currancy, printed two versions of dark and light of his photo to observe the detail of the photograph, testing new way on presenting the highlights. And one of the point that can make his painting became so realistic is that he focused on drawing the details, the pores, blackheads, new grown mustache, theses details could all be clearly see when the portrait is enlarged. Just like a doodle art. More, is the highlights, by removing the paint, and lighting is the element that can make a plain object become more three-dimensional. Of course, there was also the darker point have to be mentioned, he increased the density of the pigment to create darker tones. All in all, this portrait is really realistic from the way he emphasised the lighting of darker and lighter tone, and also the attentions on details. On the other hand, this work is also a foundation of his later works, portraits focus on heads. 04

Susan (1971) Acrylic on canvas, 100 x 90 in

After a series of black-andwhite photo realism, Chuck started a new series of threecolor painted portraits, based on his previous black-andwhite style and the protagonist was started to have his friends and families. He started the idea of remaining with photo-based portraits because of he felt he had done all with the blackand-white. This is a must for artists, since aesthetic is made by themselves, and they need to be out of a box as always. By using pre-mixed colors on the palette, to make realist paintings. Built three very thin layers of diluted acrylic colors, magenta, cyan, yellow. He studied these three by using two of them colored pencils, and the remainging one using watercolor. His way of three-color paint remians me how a printer works, also with this three based colors(black also). Chuck's this series of work is like printer's fundamental principle. As I mentioned, detaiils is the important part to make the painting become realistic, based on his former portraits."A window effect", this is how Chuck describded he added colors on portraits, means that the illusion beyond the imaginary window, this fully pronounced how realistic they are.

making the wrinkles beome obvious, but still looks natural, The hue, the gloss, making the protective on the face, the lighting of the photograph a p p e a r. J u s t l i ke wh a t Chuck said, his paintings are like an imaginery mirror.

More, the painting is full of colors, brown hair, red lips, This time, Susan, the hair looks blue and yellow eyes, but like after a fully chromatic only based on using three treatments, smooth and shiny colors, not even white or 05 brown. And also the texture,

black, as a result, the amount of each layers of color should be controlled accurately, a slightly mistake can make a different color. So before painting, these process has to be prepared. And For me, Chuck Close this series of portraits make me think that he is like a human-shaped printer. And he evolved from his previous work to a new "colorful" stage.

Self-Portrait/String (1983) Handmade paper in 24 gray values and string 37 x 27 in

photoshop at that time, making this special effect, Chuck used a watercolor and matched the tonality of each block of the grid to a standard Kodak gray scales, from white to black. To determine the pigmantation of each block. I f yo u c a n s e e t h i s wo r k through, those paper pulps was linked with strings between, replaced the massproducing grill, like a knitted carpet. It's fancy that you can see different things when you stand closer or far, when you come closer you may see just lots of weird black or grey cubes, when you stand away from it, a mosaic like portrait appears, this is how this piece of work's feeling, for me.

Before this series of work started, Chuck also did a series of portraits by fungerprinting. Now this portrait was made with wads of tinted pulp taking the place of the dots, much the same way as the black-and-white portaits. And this looks like the mosaic, or the blurred and uncleared low pixel image. But still, when you step sway from the portrait, the image of a person will

be obvious. Those paper pulp were h a n d m a d e, m e s h e d o f small squares, half an inch deep, that can suits for the watery pulp could be injected, as it dried, it would bond to a large sheet of drying pulp and supprt for the whole. And also no bleeding of pulp has to be insured, avoid the adjacent one will be destroyed. There was no 06

More, on the gray values, Chuck was just using 24 of it, measuring the density of the pigment. This kind of method was also alike with those portraits he did, finding the way of how the photograph works, went back to the basic color. As he mentioned when doing his former colored portraits series, he started to do full color onces, since he thought he was all done with black-and-white, but now, he found a way to evolve, not only pay attention on realistic, but also different ways to present his portrait works.

Georgia (1984)

Handmade paper (air dried) 56 x 44 in "Miniature meadow muffins the size of Pringles potato c h i p s " , t h i s i s h ow C h u c k described. After working on few paper pulp works, Chuck accidently fell blobs of liquid paper to the floor where they flattened and hardended into "potato chips". After that, he and his assistants began to produce more of these gravitygenerated pulp paper patties. "natural, irregular, outside edges formed by gravity, not by artistic decision", Chuck said. Different from the former grids work, this time Chuck did irregular shapes"potato" paper molds, resembled a paint-bynumbers image-into a stencillike grill together from bent stripes. And this process took four hundred hours. The pup was matched to the numbers of gray scales.

instead of deliberately. inspired me that those artistic things can be found from nature, like the sunflower seeds, the waves. More, the intensive of those paper pulp also did an important role on the darker and lighter zone. When there was a darker place, like the hair, there was more different

This "potato chips" remind me of the landscape on the map, overlapping, irregular round shapes. And the work is also a collage form, and like what Chuck said, they are formed by gravity, those rough edges gave the feeling of how randomly the artist did this work, of course, this was not a easy peasy, took a long time of preparation the gray scales, just like those former works. I admired that Chuck found his new ways by those accident, 07

density of gray scales, conversely, the lighter zone have fewer colors of gray scales. It's the same theory of his former black-and-white portraits, removing the colors to make highlights or lighter tone. I should also remember this well, since this is what Chuck's method emphasised, and will be a big help on deciding the colors.

Alex II (1989) Oil on canvas 36 x 30 in

This work is the first post-catastrophe painting(Chuck was araylzed because of the spontaneous occlusion of the anterior spinal artery). At that time, he was at an early stage of regaining control of his brush. This painting used the style of prismatic grids, that Chuck founded in 1970s-80s. Making fully chromatic dot drawings employing approach that would be in stark co n t ra s t to t h e way in which the continuous -tone color paintings were made. T h e c o l o r, w a s pastel colors, since Chuck was attracted to pastel because of its purity and intensity.

Literally, Chuck made portraits based on his friends or families, so he later decided to concentrate entirly on artists. And alex was thought of as "professional posers".

Although he was suffering with the serious illness, he still go on his career. And some people said there was differences between his former work , Chuck don't buy that. I also agree. The strokes was not stable as the past, since he picked up his brush the first time after the illness, the circle drew was not round, and the lines were rough. But though, the spirit remains the same, there were conceptual Because of similiarities those pastel linked. More colored dots, the colors were paintings become i nvov l e d , c o r a l surprsingly and crimson, varied, Chuck saffron and modified clusters turquoise, orange of dots with and emerald, smaller touches of remainded me the complementary color of tropical and contrating colors. Built the painting fish. by evenly spaced grid. And smaller dabs of color in order to build patterns that from Chuck insisted on his drawing , even a distance would let you read as highlights though the illness was struggling him, the spirit has to be respected. And his and shadow. continuous on evolving different ways on portrait paintings, also influenced many This painting is the portrait of his artist latter artists, Now, he still live in New friend Alex Katz, and there was also an York, doing his portrait painting, different Alex I paintings(black-and-white) before. collaborations with artists. 08

Chuck Close VS Andy Warhol

< Chuck Close

< Andy Warhol

Self-Portrait(1997)

Chuck Close > Kate(2011)

Mao Ze Dong(1972)

Andy Warhol > Self-Portrait(1986)

A n dy Wa r h o l , f a m o u s American Pop art artist in the few decades. Why I put him with Chuck Close for comparation? Because Andy Warhol also did many self-portrait, and the same way st a r ted l ike Chu ck close, having photography as resources. And they both cropped the portrait at the collarbone, which was focused on the head.

with a black background. And Chuck Close, his selfportrait in 1997, using the style of prismatic grids for painting . Although both of them's work methods differed, but there was still conceptual similarities. Such as they both started with only photography, or realstic paintings of the photos, but later, they also found ways to combine figuration like another modernrism artist M o r e , t h e y b o t h Jackson Pollock(but he was representing the photos a more abstract expression). in different ways. Andy Wa r h o l ' s s e l f - p o r t r a i t The people they worked i n 1 9 8 6 , u s i n g t h e o n p o r t ra i t s we re a l s o silkscreening to make a have similarites. They both varies of color of his face started with themselves as 09

target , later, the target turned to celebrities. Andy Warhol worked on Marilyn Monroe in1967, Mao Ze Dong in 1972. Chuck Close worked on Kate Moss(model) in 2011, Brad Pitt in 2009. Also, duo represented their former works. Andy Warhol repeated his silkscreening of portraits or campbell cans, Chuck Close used different ways to reform a new paintings based on the old ones(Alex I and Alex II). A l l i n a l l , a l t h o u gh t h e h ave d i f f e re n t ways o n presenting their work, but the conept and starting point was quite the same.

Conclusion Chuck Close’s work and life are both very impressive. For his work, he making an evolution on his stage of art movement, the photorealism. Though he opened a n e w s t a g e o n d r aw i n g l a r g e scale of potraits with the style of photorealism, he didn’t stop to improve his works or even use the former style again. Like the peoriod within 1980s, he went back to the style of black-and-white, and also invented different media to create the potrait. Paper pulps, chips like paper pulps. And I also appreciate his way of observing daily life, like the way how he discovered how to create the paper pulp chips. I think he is a very well-prepared, well-managed person, since he did sketches, color tesing before each of his work, and continue to try different media, like pastel colors, acrylic to find the one he suited. In order to make the work become vivid and real, color, shadows and light are the important elements. I think the reason that Chuck can draw potrait lifelike is that he “know” every color scale deeply. Computers were not as advanced as nowadays in the old times. He had to study different intensify or density of the color, observing the light and shadows from the photo he shot. This inspired me that if you want to draw vivid and lifelike, observation is always the most important. Fo r h i s l i f e , h e i s f a c i n g m a ny difficulties, like the neuro-muscular

problem, become paralyzed, and the peospagnosia problem. But if he didn’t born this way, he may not become an artist. The peospagnosia problem let him started to draw people’s faces, becoming paralyzed inspired him to use the method of contrast dots and squraes to draw portraits. I fully respect his persistence on his artist career. All in all, I learnt something from Chuck. By his different ways used and tried on artwork, think out of a box, and his spirit of seriousness and persistence. Also how he study the color scale well inspired me that color are full of variation. Inspiration is everywhere around us, just depends on do we notice and observe them. I believe Chuck Close made a huge contribution to the development of photorealism, and his work must inspired me in the following work I will do. 10

Bibliography Chuck Close's work photo

http://chuckclose.com/work_timeline. html

Chuck Close's information

Chuck Close Work by Christopher Finch

Andy Warhol's work photo

Mao Ze Dong h t t p : / / w w w. c h i n e - i n f o r m a t i o n s . com/usb/membres/photos/1/chinem o s a i q u e - m a o - z e d o n g - p a r - a n dy warhol_1243151085.jpg Self-Portrait http://forgetoday.com/wp-content/ uploads/2012/05/13.jpg