966. Chuck Close (1940-), American,

Linda, 1975-1976. Acrylic on canvas,

273.5 x 212.5 cm. Akron Art Museum,

Akron. Photorealism.

 

 

Chuck Close

(1940 Monroe –)

 

Chuck Close is an American painter and photographer who achieved fame during the photorealist movement, through his massive scale, extremely realistic portraits. He is best known for the gigantic heads painted with tiny airbrush bursts, thumbprints and multi-looping colour brushstrokes. Close has developed a formal analysis and methodological reconfiguration of the human face that have radically changed the definition of modern portraiture. Over the years, Close’s work evolved from harsher-toned black and white portraits to brightly coloured canvases that have abstract undertones. His most recent pictures synthesize his interest in the spontaneous manner of the Abstract Expressionist with his strict adherence to the self-imposed rules that have guided his art from the beginning.