Artist 29: Chuck Close

Chuck Close was born in 1940 in Washington. He studied at the University of Washington in Seattle as well as Yale University. A painter as well as a photographer, he was able to capture photorealism in his works. "Lucas," seen here, is a prime example as this giant artwork which looks like a photograph from a distance is actually done in oil and pencil on canvas. That is made more clear when seen up close, the picture on the right is a close up to show the many different colors used. His ability to create such realistic pictures on such a large scale is really something to admire, and is probably an outcome of being a photographer. His artwork is really interesting to me because he can create such incredible realism in multiple ways, the multi-colored way, pictured here, and the straight realist way. So no matter how close you get, it looks just like what is pictured down to the tiniest detail. That kind of detail blows my mind, but it makes me want to practice details more and to practice patience in doing so.