1. Chuck Close (1940-) Began as a photo- realistic painter, then worked toward abstraction Suffered from a collapsed spinal artery in 1988, leaving him paralyzed in a wheelchair

2. Here’s his story… Chuck Close was born July 5, 1940, in Monroe, Washington. Close, who suffered from severe dyslexia, struggled in almost all phases of schoolwork except art. He was not terribly popular in school, and his problems were furthered by a neuromuscular condition that prevented him from playing sports. When he was 11, tragedy struck, when his father died and his mother fell ill with breast cancer. Close's own health took a terrible turn around this time as well, when a kidney infection landed him in bed for almost a year. Through all of this, however, Close deepened his love for painting and art in general. At the age of 14, he saw an exhibition of Jackson Pollock paintings. Pollock's style and flair had a great impact on Close, and, as he later recounted, it made him determined to become an artist.

3. Worked hard and evetually got his Masters in Fine Arts at Yale. Develeoped his style Photorealism “his pieces blurred the distinction between painting and photography in a way that had never been done before. His techniques too were noteworthy, in particular his application of color, which helped pave the way for the development of the inkjet printer.” In 1988, Close again experienced the trauma of a severe health issue when he suffered the sudden rupture of a spinal artery. Close was left almost entirely paralyzed. Eventually, after rounds of physical therapy, Close, who became permanently confined to a wheelchair, regained the partial use of his limbs. Despite the physical limitations, Close pressed forward with his work. With a brush taped to his wrist, Close continued to paint, but in a style that was more abstract and yet a new style of painting. Close and his wife, Leslie, live in New York City and Long Island, New York.

4. Chuck Close, John, 1971-72.

5. Chuck Close, Big Self-Portrait, 1967-1968 acrylic on canvas. 107 ½” x 83 ½”

6. Chuck Close, Leslie, 1986. Watercolor.

7. Chuck Close, Fanny, 1985. Fingerpainting.

8. “ I had to recover enough to paint. There is nothing else I can do. There is nothing else I want to do ” Chuck Close

9. Chuck Close, Self Portrait, 2000.

12. Chuck Close, Emma, 1986-87. 113-color Japanese- style woodcut!

13. Chuck Close, Self-Portrait, 1991. Oil Paint.

15. Chuck Close, Roy, 1994. Oil Paint.

16. Chuck Close, Lyle, 2003. Silkscreen.