Analysis: A Closer Look Into Chuck Close

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A Closer Look Into Chuck Close Introduction: Chuck Close is one of the most famous and well-known artists to ever live. Through many hardships during his life, he never gave up and pushed himself to do things that no one has ever done before. The way he knows how to mix colors (similar to Seurat and pointillism) is incredible and a mystery to almost all people. His work has changed modern art and has influenced countless people to strive to be the best person they can be.

I. Background- Chuck’s childhood was not an easy and happy time. His adult life to follow seemed up after he found his true calling in art. His event left him quadriplegic and he struggled to figure out if he was going to give up art or push through. A. Chuck Close has
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Close was severely dyslexic, so his school life was miserable. He couldn’t perform at the same levels as the other children could (Amason, 2012).
a. He had a very difficult time making friends due to his lack of interest in sports and school. He was the outcast though his years in high school until he found out he was very passionate in art.
b. Chuck was unable to learn like other children due to his dyslexia so math classes and science were very difficult. He would often do extra credit art projects to make up for his poor math and science skills
(Chuck Close: A Portrait in Progress, 1998).
2. He has a condition called face-blindness, which means he is unable to recognize faces fully. He painted family and friends to remember what they look like easier.
3. Chuck fell ill with a kidney infection that lasted for almost a whole year. He also had a neuromuscular condition that kept him from playing any sports in high school, which contributed to him being an outcast (Chuck Close: A Portrait in Progress, 1998).
B. Chuck Close’s family had many issues that impacted his life in both extremely negative and positive ways.
1. At age 11, his father died. He was very close to his father, so this was very hard on him for a long time (Finch,
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Chuck’s disabilities influenced his artwork. The art after his event was amazing due to his color mixing. His face-blindness in particular influenced him to make portraits because it was easier to remember faces of the people he loved and knew. Quadriplegic life affected his life greatly, but he never let it stop him from doing what he loves. It actually pushed him to try new things and advance his art style.
III. Close’s “Self-Portrait” was made after his accident (Chuck Close: A Portrait in Progress, 1998). It was far more abstract than the previous self-portrait he had made before. Before the event, he used a specific airbrush technique, but after, he focused more on square mixing and how the eye mixes colors from far away. His portraits were much more about the person then he once thought because they show whom the person is by their emotions and facial features (including himself).
IV. Chuck impacted the art world in many incredible ways. His usage of a grid and advancements in photorealism pushed him above and beyond artists of his

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