The Talking Simian's Review of Chuck Close

Chuck Close

Every art lover has an artist or two that they gravitate toward when someone asks who their favorite artist is. Since I first saw his work in the early 90's, Chuck Close has been on my Top 5 Artists List. Seeing his work in books was pretty cool. His drawings and paintings leaped off the page at me. His subjects were very close up and that intrigued me to no end. His detail seemed to be magnificent. But as we all know, books don't do justice to most artists. You have to see the works in person to get a full perspective of lines, color, texture, and scale. When I was fortunate enough to see some of his works in person, all of the photos I'd seen in the books paled in comparison. His portraits were big. His models stared back making me a tad nervous that they could peer into my soul. The grid paintings messed with my mind. It probably looked like I was on a yo-yo constantly moving back and forth to a painting and then away from it. Seeing his work in person solidified my love for his work. A shitty turn of events (spinal artery collapse) left Chuck paralyzed from the neck down. Persistently, he hit the physical therapy lab and through great determination, he got into a wheelchair and back to painting. With a sweet art rig, some adaptation to his brushes, and a handy assistant, he continues to create some of the best work on the planet. Here's a look at some works. See more here> www.pacegallery.com/art
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This is Chuck in one of his studios. His huge canvases are on a hydraulic lift so he can work on the entire work from his chair. He gets some help from an assistant but the images all come from his mind and make their way to the canvas in spectacular form. Truly great work.