Chuck Close, a pioneering American artist, revolutionized portraiture with his innovative approach to painting, employing grid-based techniques to create strikingly realistic images that challenge perceptions of identity and representation, pushing the boundaries of artistic expression and redefining the genre for generations to come.
"It doesn't upset artists to find out that artists used lenses or mirrors or other aids, but it certainly does upset the art historians."
"I always thought that one of the reasons why a painter likes especially to have other painters look at his or her work is the shared experience of having pushed paint around."
"What difference does it make whether you're looking at a photograph or looking at a still life in front of you? You still have to look."
"I discovered about 150 dots is the minimum number of dots to make a specific recognizable person. You can make something that looks like a head, with fewer dots, but you won't be able to give much information about who it is."
"I'm plagued with indecision in my life. I can't figure out what to order in a restaurant."
"Painting is the most magical of mediums. The transcendence is truly amazing to me every time I go to a museum and I see how somebody figured another way to rub colored dirt on a flat surface and make space where there is no space or make you think of a life experience."
"Most people are good at too many things. And when you say someone is focused, more often than not what you actually mean is they're very narrow."