Kelly Bacherman

ENC 2135
19 March 2017

How Has Chuck Close Influenced Society And Evolved His Style?: A Hypertexutal
Research and Analysis of Chuck Close and His Artworks

Art saved my life, Chuck Close states in Arts as Antidote for Academic Ills. For artist
Chuck Close, these words mean more than they seem. This painters inspirational story has
more to do with than just creating art.
According to Karen Colleen Gerety and
Adam Dowd Kelne, Close was
paralyzed from the neck down, due to a
spinal artery collapse. Although he has
since been able to regain some
motioning his arms and legs, this
setback had a huge impact on his
career. This disability struck him in the
middle of his successful career as a
photorealism painter. After this, the
artists style noticeable differed, as he
began to touch into contemporary art.
While this did greatly impact his artistic
style, it never kept him from doing what
he loved. The artist continued to have
memorable impacts on the
contemporary and process art
communities. Most art, like Chuck
Closes is displayed as one final Chuck Close, Reference Photograph for Big Nude, 1967
product. However, Close is able to
exhibit ways that art can be more about
the process than the product itself. By
sharing images that detail the intense
processes of his artwork, audiences
started to notice and appreciate the
process. Process art is usually tedious
and detailed in a way that shows the
methods of making the art. Closes art
is seen to do just this. He also shows
some of the political impacts that can
be made through art. Some of Closes
portrait works include political figures.
this subtly demonstrates his political Chuck Close, Big Nude, 1967
stances. Along with this, Close has had acrylic on gessoed canvas
influences on other artists that have 117 x 253.5 in. (297.2 x 643.9 cm)
made huge political impacts, like Ray
Noland.
Chuck Close is given credit for reintroducing the grid method; a system, typically used in
the photorealism style. In this process, one marks proportionate grid lines on a canvas and a

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much smaller reference photograph. This helps to break
down the task of painting or drawing. The process of many
of Chuck Closes works are documented on his website,
where the gird method is often seen. One of the first
instances of this is on Chuck Closes first photorealism
portrait, Big Nude in 1967. Michael Desmond notes that
the photorealism style didn't start to gain popularity until
the late 1960s, and Close did not hesitate to join the
crowd. He tells us that Chuck Close is one of the most
prominent artists featuring this style, as his portraits
showed more emotion and diligence than the original
photographs did. Like all the photorealists, Close directly
copied photographs, an if you cant beat em, join em
response to photography as much as a reaction to abstract
expressionism, pop and minimal art (58). It is not doubted
that Chuck Close paved the way for other artists involved
in the photorealistic movement. Throughout Chuck Closes
entire artistic career, a theme of large-scale portraits has Chuck Close, Cindy I, 1988
persisted. The beginning of his photorealism phase is oil on canvas
where this trend originated. According to Chuck Closes 100.12 x 84.12 in. (254.3 x 213.7
official website, a portrait scaling 117 x 253 inches was cm)
competed. Shown to the right, his grid method, and
hyperrealistic finished product are unique identifiers of this
artists works. As reported by Jay Gorney in his Drawing
Today in New York Review, Chuck Closes reintroduction of
the grid method with Big Nude is what jumpstarted the
photorealism movement. This piece is integral not only to
the photorealism painting community, but also to the
beginning of Closes career. The scale of his portraits is
impressive, and unlike what almost all other artists in the
late sixties were doing. The size of his portraits allowed
viewers to notice every last detail, and feel more than just
the face depicted in the artwork. Desmond states "Closes
gigantic faces with their cold, polished finish were as
disturbing as anything conjured by Salvador Dali and the
surrealists (58). This legitimizes the creativity and
innovation needed to create photorealistic artworks, such
as Chuck Closes. It also sets this artist apart from other
practicing photorealism at the time. Not only were his
portraits different, in terms of the size of his canvases, but
also that the message and eerie vibe was given through Chuck Close, Cindy II, 1988
the art. As Closes career went on, his style began to morph oil on canvas
slowly from hyperrealistic to contemporary. While still 72 x 60 in. (182.9 x 152.4 cm)
focusing mostly on portraits, he modified his grid method to
make more playful and colorful pieces.
Chuck Closes artworks began to evolve into a contemporary and representational style
in the 1970s. During this time, you can see his grid method shift from capturing innate detail to
implying shapes and figures through the use of patterns and colors. The Redefining Portraits
article agrees Some of Close's portraits demonstrate photographic realism, and others, like

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Leslie, are actually combinations of irregular,
multicolored dots or value gradations, including inked
fingerprints (32). Karen Colleen Gerety and Adam Dowd
Kelne comment that this change in style is most likely
due to Chuck Closes studying in Europe, and moving to
New York. Here, he became inspired by pop and non-
representational artists. These influential artists include
Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock, according to
The digital catalogue raisonn: When form is function by
Carina Evangelista. Much like de Kooning, Closes
contemporary artworks will test the limits of facial
recognition. His paintings beg the question, at what point
is this not considered a portrait? The portraits that close
painted just before his paralysis were more detailed and
representational. For example, his works titled Cindy I
and Cindy II, shown to the right, were some of the last
painting that Close completed before his paralysis.
These are contemporary portraits made out of irregular
Chuck Close, Bill II, 1991
shapes and patterns, while still recognizable. The artists
oil on canvas
style had already started to develop into this more
36 x 30 in. (91.4 x 76.2 cm)
whimsical experimenting before he became
paralyzed. However, after this occurred his
style began to evolve again. In the early
1990s is when Chuck close starts to push
boundaries in the modern representational art
community. In the kaleidoscopic world of
Chuck Close's portraits by Olivia Snaije,
Close states My new portraits have a
celebratory aspect that wasn't there before ...
because I feel so happy that I was able to get
back to work. His emotions are clearly
reflected inches artworks the have been
completed after he was confined to a
wheelchair. Closes positive outlook is
beautifully shown in the evolution and shift to
photorealism art to contemporary
representative.
The process of creating these
contemporary and stylized paintings is just as
much art as the finished paintings
themselves. Described in The Magic of Art: A
Master Painter Shows How He Does It,
Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Allison Adato,
and Jen M. R. Doman tell of the intimate
process behind his portraits. The artist is
paralyzed from the neck down, due to a
collapsed spinal artery, according to this
article. This doesn't hold Close back from
continuing to paint his huge masterpieces.
Chuck Close, John in progress, 1971-1972
acrylic on gessoed canvas
3 of 10 100 x 90 in. (254 x 228.6 cm)
With a paintbrush strapped to his arm, he started with
one of the 2-inch squares that has been gridded over the
entire canvas. Continuing with this modified version of his
original grid method, he completes artworks, such as Bill
II. His process for photorealism is unexpectedly just as
intriguing. Close would typically start by taking his own
polaroid photographs. Detailed in The Artist Turns to the
Book: A Forthcoming Exhibition of Highlights from the
Collection of Recent Contemporary Artists' Books Held by
the Research Library at the Getty Research Institute,
author Joyce Pellerano Ludmer recalls Chuck Closes
use of the daguerreotype in 1999. This early
photographing method is yet another artistic process that
Chuck Close has reintroduced in an unusual way.
According to Joyce Pellerano Ludmer, Close would take
photographs of his artist friends using this method.
Capturing just a few frames could take upwards of 2-3
hours. While Close would occasionally use these
photographs as references for his paintings, it is obvious
that polaroid pictures were his favorite to work off of. His
daguerreotype photographs were usually featured alone, Scott Blake, Self Portrait Made with
as the process and final product were satisfactory Chuck Close Filter, net art, 1500
enough to the artist. While he also sometimes published 1950 pixels, 2008.
his polaroids, he also used them as
references for most of his portraits. The
process of painting his photorealistic
portraits is also revolutionary. Chuck
Closes process, shown in John depicts
his unique painting process. Using his
grid method, as always, Close will break
down his photograph and his canvas into
tiny yet proportionate squares. After this,
general shapes and spaces are sketched
out onto the canvas, and the beginning of
the painting process begins. Working in
sections, the artist will paint red tones,
blue tones, and yellow tones separately to
created the hyperrealistic look. In The
digital catalogue raisonn: When form is
function, Chuck Close says Im sitting Ray Noland, Go Tell Mama Dream Posters, screen-
and looking at the photograph of your face. printed posters, 2006
Im trying to figure out why the highlights are
all blue. Im not sure if it was like skin oil or
some kind of bluish eye shadow. Theres a brushstroke over your eyelid of eyeliner and in the
photograph its really a stroke which youve painted and now I have to paint... You made a
stroke with one gesture one long, skinny stroke which I then have to manufacture three
times. I have to make a red line very carefully building up a red stroke, then apply a blue stroke
on top of that, and then apply a yellow stroke on top of that, so that your single gesture
becomes very complex (22). Chuck Closes attention to detail is shown through this intense

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quote. As he describes the process
of this on, seemingly simple
component of a painting, he walks
you through his meticulous thought
process. This all adds up to Chuck
Closes thorough and rigorous
process of completing these
realistic portraits. The art is not
only in what is present in the final
product, but also in the long and
tedious process of creating this
product. This has inspired other
huge art movements, such as
process art.
Chuck Closes artworks Ray Noland, Officially Unofficial Show - Chicago Cultural
influenced many other artists in a Center, 2009
variety of genres, differing fro just
contemporary or photorealism.
One notable case is Scott Blakes
digital artworks. A few aspects of Closes works were considered somewhat digital, such as his
photography, and digitally applying gridlines to his reference photographs. These small parts of
Chuck Closes process cannot be considered digital art, however, because the majority of the
process involves painting. However, Scott Blakes merging of Chuck Closes contemporary style
and his own interests in digital art make an unexpected product. As stated in Contemporary Art
and Cybernetics: Waves of Cybernetic Discourse within Conceptual, Video and New Media Art,
Blake uses filter to make his unedited digital photo into piece in the style of Chuck Closes
contemporary phase. Ilfeld states Artist Scott Blake has attempted to emulate Closes pixel-
aesthetics by creating a software program, The Chuck Close Filter, that emulates and utilizes
elements of Closes technique in order to create his very own Chuck-Close-like artworks. Scott
Blakes Self Portrait Made with Chuck
Close Filterdemonstrates the potential of appropriating Closes aesthetics into a purely digital
form and resonates strikingly with Closes work (61). He also mentions the similarities of
viewing Chuck Closes original paintings and viewing one of Scott Blakes digital renderings of a
Chuck Close portrait. Ilfeld says that when viewing one of Closes painting in real life, the one is
able to zoom in and zoom out by walking towards, and away from the artwork. In
comparison, when viewing a digital piece, like one of Blakes, the verier can literally zoom in and
out to observe detail. He also compares Chuck Closes grid method to creating pixels on the
canvas.
Close also inspired political art. Ray Noland, an artist that supported Barack Obama in
2006, named Chuck Close as one of his great influences, as reported by Samantha Ragland in
The Art of Social Design. Inspired by the contemporary portraits of Close, Noland produced
posters that featured Barack Obamas face in support of his political campaign.
The image above shows the cover of the Officially Unofficial Show at the Chicago Cultural
Center. In this particular art show, strictly pro-Obama related art was displayed in the show.
Many of Ray Nolands Dream Posters were exhibited. The indirect impact the chuck Close had
on the political situation in the United States is just one example of how art can influence
society. In Barack, by Calvin Tomkins, it is mentioned that Close has met with influential political
figures, such as Bill Clinton, Al Gore, the Dalai Lama, and Barack Obama to photograph them.
Through these photographs, Close would create his famous paintings. He has to be careful

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about which pictures he uses though, another step in his process art. Tomkins states that had
effectively ruled out using the image for any political purpose, because photographs taken in the
Oval Office cannot be used to campaign for relection. Most of Closes artworks get a lot of
attention from the public, especially when they feature portraits of well known public figures. For
example, one of Chuck Closes most famous works, William Jefferson Clinton, is displayed at
the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. In this prestigious galley, one portrait of each
president is displayed after there they leave office. Of the 43 portraits that hang here, Chuck
Closes is one of the most popular. While nearly all of the other paintings are realistic and
historic, the portrait of bill Clinton is abstracted, huge, and colorful. Completed in 2006, this
particular painting replaced the original portrait of Clinton. Originally, a portrait of Clinton that
contained subtle references to the presidents affair with Monica Lewinsky was displayed. After
the original artist came forward to admit his painting did, in fact, allude to this, it was removed.
Closes work replaced it shortly. Chuck Close said himself "it should be very interesting to see
how I fit into the long series of conventions and traditions of portrait painting (National Portrait
Gallery), referring the stark contrast between his portrait, and the others. All of these examples
had some kind of impact politically. Chuck Closes are can greatly impact any campaign. The
influences of art like this are not just on other artists, or art-related movements. All corners of
American society are affected by the artworks created between Ray Noland and Chuck Close.
The incredible impacts the Chuck Close has on the artistic world are obvious. After
resurrecting the grid method, many other artists followed after him. This method is often used as
an example throughout the art world when teaching or discussing realism painting or drawing.
When it comes to contemporary art, Chuck Close is again, a name often mentioned. His
evolved style that came after he became paralyzed in 1988 broke boundaries and formed
original ideas that other artists had yet to explore. Snaije tells All the paintings are done on
grids, his work built from units. As Close says, this structural approach to a painting is a product
of his nature: I really need to break things down to a manageable and solvable problem. My
work has always been driven by self-imposed limitations. The process that has alas been
evident in Chuck Closes artworks is an art form in itself. His meticulous method of
photographing subjects, drawing perfect gridlines, and painstakingly filling them in, all while
being paralyzed from the neck down is what makes his art memorable. Closes determination
and innovation is what sparked the inspiration for various other artists like Scott Blake and Ray
Noland, as previously mentioned. Both of these artists had different takes on modifying Chuck
Closes works, while still giving him the credit he deserved. While Nolands art was a more
influential and controversial take eon the art that involved politics, race, and current events,
Blakes modification was more of an experiment with how the process of the artworks final
product could be changed. Both Closes and Blakes artworks looked remarkably similar, but the
processes were unimaginably different. Closes works is decidedly influential on nearly all
contrasting groups of people. Whether it be political parties, contemporary artists, photorealistic
artists, and everything in between, Chuck Close has been able to impact all in some way.

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 Rhetorical Rationale

While writing this paper, I knew I wanted to talk about art influencers. Chuck Close first
came to mind. He has always been one of my favorite painters, and his inspirational story of
overcoming his paralysis was a memorable one. Growing up in Washington D.C., I was able to
view some of Closes works in person. I was already familiar with Chuck Closes contemporary
works from the National Portrait Gallery in D.C. The influence that this artist has had on my life
was so huge that I wanted to look into other ways he has influenced the art world. Through my
research across databases, I found that the artist had impacted not only process and
contemporary art, but many other genres. The photorealism movement would not have been the
same without this artist, and even his political impacts were notable. The first draft of my
annotated bibliography included sources mostly including biographies of the artists life. It was
easier to find non-scholarly articles about Chuck close. These included articles from news
websites, as well as gallery and museum websites. My original research question was only
asking about the influences that Chuck Close had on the contemporary art movement. After my
one-on-one conference with Professor Cole, I was told to make my paper less of a report of
information. To do this, I added more layers to my thesis to make a specified argument. As my
research continued, I was able to find more about his political impacts, and impacts on the
photorealism movement. My research questions then evolved to include the influences that
Chuck Close had on the photorealism movement, contemporary art, and American politics.
Through writing about Closes photorealism and contemporary pieces, I came across another
point that was originally left out. Chuck Closes work is also considered process art because of
the way he creates it. Since the artist is paralyzed from the neck down, with little movement in
his arms and legs, he paints in a very specific way. With a paintbrush attached to his arm he
maneuvers his body to create his brush strokes. Images of this process can be found the artists
personal website. Along with this, his process of the grid method is revolutionary. close himself
did not invent this method, as it has been around since for thousands of years. However, he can
be created with resurrecting the grid method. While adding points about process art to my
paper, I found that many other artists had followed behind Close, using his reintroduced version
of the grid method. This was yet another influence that could be incorporated into my writing.
After reviewing my fist draft with classmates in our workshop, I was given helpful revisions.
Firstly, the audience of my paper was too narrow. Most people would not be interested in
reading about the influences of one specific artist. To fix this, I added more the the political
influences of Chuck Close. Mentions of his paintings in the National Portrait Gallery were
originally left out. Showing that Chuck close has not just had impacts on other artists is
important to engage the audience of my classmates. Along with this, it was noted that the thesis
in my introduction was unclear. To fix this, I added more of an argument about Closes impacts,
as well as touching upon the aspect of process art.

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 Bibliography

Close, Chuck. Big Nude. 1967. Acrylic on gessoed canvas. Private Collection, New York.
This image shows one of Chuck closes first photorealism portraits. It is important to my
paper in the way that it shows the artists process of the grid method. Along with this, the
time period of this painting also shows that Close was one of the pioneers for the
photorealism movement in the late 1960s.

Close, Chuck. Bill II. 1991. Oil on canvas. Private collection, New York.
This painting by close exhibits his style immediately after his paralysis. In 1984, the artists
became paralyzed and his artistic style notably changed.

Close, Chuck. Cindy. 1988. Oil on canvas. Collection Museum of contemporary Art, Chicago.
This image shows Chuck Closes Cindy paintings. These pieces display the style of Close,
and how it had begun to evolve even just before he became paralyzed.

Close, Chuck. John (in progress). 1972. Private collection, New York.
This image, found on Chuck Closes website shows the process of one of of this
photorealism portraits, John. This is important to include in the argument, as it supports the
idea of Closes works as an example of process art.

Cohen, Patricia. 2012. "Arts as Antidote for Academic Ills." The New York Times, Dec 19, C1.
This source is a New York Times article. The article includes details about Chuck Closes
working with kids in schools that have underfunded art programs. The quote Art saved my
life is mentioned in this writing.

Desmond, Michael. 2014. Close Encounters with Hyperreality.

This peer reviewed exhibition review includes an analysis of selected pieces of Chuck
Closes artworks. The artists influential grid method is briefly described. The process art
the Close created has had a huge influence on the photorealism and contemporary art
movements. This source is important in giving the information of how Chuck Closes work
has evolved over time. The author, Michael Desmond, worked as a curator in the National
Portrait Gallery, where some of Closes works have been held, from 2006 to 2011

Evangelista, Carina, 2015. The Digital Catalogue Raisonn: When Form is Function. Vol. 40.
The purpose of this article is to discuss the features of the digital Chuck Close Catalogue
Raisonn. However, useful information can also be drawn from it. In-depth descriptions and
backgrounds are given on a few pieces of his artworks, and his online publishing style is
both praised and critiqued. The author is not only the editor of the Chuck Close Catalogue
Raisonn, but has also worked in the curatorial and education departments in the Museum
of Modern Art. She was also an advisor of Mo Space in Malina.

Gerety, Karen Colleen and Adam Dowd Kelne. 2003. Redefining Portraits. Vol. 56.
This article discusses the representational aspect of Closes portraits. The artists painting
style and process is described, specifically after his paralysis. Specifically, one
contemporary piece, Leslie, is mentioned and analyzed. Some of Chuck Closes influences
are also mentioned. The authors are both graduate students in the art department of the
University if Kansas. Both specialize in education.

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Gorney, Jay. 1976. Drawing Today in New York. Vol. 36.
This article describes Closes artworks in the view of the audience. It highlights an opinion
that the reason his pieces re so disturbing and interesting may be due to the audience
having too close a look at the sitter. This source is unique in the way that the perspective
is changed from most other articles. Jay Gorney, the author, has been known to hold
galleries throughout New York City. He has held spaces in SoHo, Chelsea, and the East
Village.

Greenfield-Sanders, Timothy, Allison Adato, and Jen M. R. Doman. 1998. "The Magic of Art: A
Master Painter shows how He does It." Life 21 (2): 48.
This article gives direct insight into Closes process art. An interview is conducted with the
artist, as this article has personal quotes from Chuck Close. He discusses not only the
creation of his art pieces, but also how he sells them. The article describes his process in
great detail, unlike other sources. One of the authors, Allison Adato is a senior editor at
People Magazine. Timothy Greenfield-Sanders is a documentary film artist, as well as a
portrait photographer. Jen M. R. Doman graduated with a Masters degree from the Medill
School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

Hicks, Tom. 2007. "Close Reading: Chuck Close and the Artist Portrait by Martin Friedman." Art
Book 14 (4): 41-42.
This book review outlines a biography of Chuck Close. Rather than focusing on his
influences, this review discusses his works and general genres of his pieces. These
include process art and photorealism. This source also includes some biographical
information related to Chuck Closes paralysis. Also described are the accommodations the
artist uses in his studio to overcome his paralysis.

Ilfeld, Etan J. 1., 2012. Contemporary Art and Cybernetics: Waves of Cybernetic Discourse
within Conceptual, Video and New Media Art. Vol. 45.
This article highlights the impacts that Chuck Close has had on digital and media artworks.
The author focuses on Scott Blake, a digital media artist, who created a Chuck Close
filter. The artist overlays photographs with this filter so that the final product shows a
picture in the representational style of Close. This article also discusses the digital aspects
of Chuck Closes process art. In his most famous process, called the grid method, Close
uses technology to print a grid over his canvas and reference in order to create his
photorealism pieces. Etan Ilfeld, the author has also written the book Beyond
Contemporary Art. This source also includes the image of Scott Blakes digital artwork.

Ludmer, Joyce Pellerano. 2005. The Artist Turns to the Book: A Forthcoming Exhibition of
Highlights from the Collection of Recent Contemporary Artists' Books Held by the Research
Library at the Getty Research Institute. Vol. 24.
This article, unlike others, focuses mainly on Chuck Closes work as a photographer. Even
in this media of art, Close still insisted on process. The artist is most well known for his
portrait paintings, however this source describes his daguerreotype photography process.
The author, Joyce Pellerano Ludmer, is a book curator at the Getty Research Institute.

Noland, Ray. "Go Tell Mama!" Ray Noland., http://raynoland.com/gotellmama.html.

This webpage displays the artwork of artist Ray Noland. He was influenced but Chuck
Close when making his Go Tell Mama! graphic artworks that promoted Obamas
presidential campaign. The images of his artworks that were included in this writing are

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 from this webpage. These include his Go Tell Mama! screen-printed posters, as well as the
Officially Unofficial sign at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Ragland, Samantha. 2009. "The Art of Social Design." International Review of African American
Art 22 (4): 28-29.
The author, Samantha Ragland, has held positions at Northwood University, The Palm
Beach Post, and The International Review of African American Art. This article from the
International Review of African America Art is about Ray Noland. Nolan is known for his
artwork featured through President Barack Obamas campaign. The article mentions how
the artist named Chuck Close as one of his artistic influences. This source is important
because it shows Chuck Closes indirect liberal influence on politics, through his art.

Snaije, Olivia. 1998. "The Kaleidoscopic World of Chuck Close's Portraits." Christian Science
Monitor 90 (119): B6.
This article gives the reader personal insight directly into the motivation behind Closes
works. In an interview with he author, he explains why he paints portraits, saying that he
has never had a desire to paint anything else. This source can tell the reader the artists
influences, directly from Close himself. The author, Olivia Snaije, is known to write for The
Guardian, The Global Post, CNN, The New York Times, and Harpers Bazaar Art. She is
journalist and editor focused on multiculturalism, graphic novels, and literature.

Tomkins, Calvin. 2012. Barack ." New Yorker 88 (28): 30-31.

This source tells of Chuck Closes meeting and photographing President Barack Obama.
Known to have photographed Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, and even President Bill Clinton for a
painting that now hangs int he prestigious National Portrait Gallery of Washington D.C., Close
describes his encounters with he democratic President. This source is unlike others, in that
way Close descries his own personal experiences. The author, Calvin Tompkins, is an art
critic for the The New Yorker Magazine.

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