Date DO NOW: Answer the questions on the slip of paper:

CHUCK CLOSE

Close’s Life. ✤ At age 14, Chuck Close was inspired to become a painter. ✤ He studied at the schools of art at the University of Washington and Yale University.

✤ His first solo exhibition included several larger-than-life portraits of his friends, painted in black and white. ✤ His style is called “Photorealism”

✤ Photorealism ✤ Photorealism is a style of painting that copies a photograph.

✤ Chuck Close was one of nine popular photorealist artists

✤ Quick write: why do you think photorealist painters would paint a photograph? 1. To impress people; 2. Because they really liked photos; 3. They had a complicated philosophy about life; 4. It just looks cool; 5. Something else? ✤ Write: “I think photorealist painters painted photos because…”

✤ Photorealism was popular in the 1960’s and 1970’s, right around the time that more people in America were owning a camera.

✤ Chuck Close’s photorealism did not always make people look good. ✤ His paintings magnified people’s flaws

Quick write: The following images are from a painting of his friend, Mark, painted from Copy the following questions, then answer them while you look at the pictures of Mark: 1. How do you think he painted so realistically? 2. How would you feel if your friend painted you like this?

Process ✤ In order to paint such a large version of the photos he took, he put a grid on the photo, and then painted inside a similar grid on his giant painting.

✤ Fingerprinting ✤ Close created the “fingerprint series”, paintings created using only his thumb and forefinger, covered in ink to create different shades of gray.

✤ Up close, you can see the fingerprints. From far away, the fingerprints form an image.

✤ Quick write: why do you think Chuck Close paints so many faces?

Disabilities and a style change ✤ Close has a disability called Face Blindness. He has difficulty recognizing people, but is helped by photos and paintings of them. ✤ He paints faces to connect to people.

✤ In 1988, he suffered a spine injury which left him in a wheelchair. ✤ He uses a special device to help him hold the paintbrush. ✤ He gave up his photorealism and creates paintings using simple shapes like ovals, squares, and circles. Up close, each part of the grid looks like shapes and colors. From a distance, they form a picture.

Video Links A Portrait in ProgressA Portrait in Progress (1:32) Close Up on DVD (1:25) Chuck Close CChuck Close Clip (1:33)