Description
Cluck Close is recognized around the world for his large scale paintings of faces. He is also an accomplished printmaker and photographer. In all three media, he is extremely innovative and pushes the boundaries of each process he explores. This exhibition focuses exclusively on Chuck Close’s work in photography and includes more than 80 images, spanning from the 1960s to the present. The works range from straightforward portraits, to monumental composite Polaroids, to intimately-scaled daguerreotypes.
Photography has played a crucial role in the development of all of Close’s creative and artistic processes—every painting and print begins with a photograph. While some of these preparatory photographs are included in the exhibition, many of the photographs were made to stand alone as works of art. One of Close’s paintings can take many months to complete, but photography provides an opportunity for the artist to move through ideas and images, making a body of work and seeing it progress quickly. In his words, photography provides him with “An opportunity to think a different way and make a different kind of object.” He has said, “I want to make ambitious photographs that reflect the same values and interests as the rest of my work. I don’t see it as a lesser art form in any way, shape, or form.”