Chuck Close

Chuck Close is an American painter, photographer, and printmaker who is renowned for his large-scale portraits. Throughout his career, Close has been recognized for his unique approach to painting, which involves creating photo-realistic portraits using a grid-based system. This process involves breaking down a photograph into a series of squares and then reproducing each square on a larger canvas, resulting in a highly detailed and intricate painting. Close's portraits are often of his family members, friends, and fellow artists, and he seeks to capture the essence and personality of each subject through his work. Despite suffering a spinal artery collapse in 1988 that left him partially paralyzed, Close has continued to create his signature portraits, which are considered landmarks in contemporary art.