Lucas I

One of the most influential artists of all time and one of my biggest inspirations - Chuck Close. In hi piece above (Lucas I), there is such a complexity to the piece, yet it is simple and the elements unite together to create one large portrait. The amount of detail, the intricacy, the wide variety of color usage, the usage of shapes, and abstraction - all in one, are what draw me to Close's work. I love that with his stippling technique, Close challenges traditional portraiture and transforms the concept of traditional portraiture completely. In a sense, this piece reminds me of the current "Circle, Square, Triangle" project that we are working on in class. For the project, we are to create complex designs out of circles, squares, and triangles, and experiment/learn to understand composition, line weights, choice of color usage. In other words, to create a successful and complex design, it is key to understand the geometrical shapes and how they can work together to create a powerful geometric composition, and yet create a complexity to it that intensifies the meaning.

Image derived from:Chuck, Close. Lucas I. 1986-87. Painting. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York. Web. 5 Sep 2013. <http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/484760>.