November 15, 1999, Chuck Close Retrospective, Seattle Art Museum

Published in the Uncategorized

In 1988, the painter Chuck Close suffered a stroke, which left him a quadriplegic. His first painting after his injury, returning to his portraits of Alex, was sadder but brighter than he expected.

As a student, he’d been interested in the paintings of Willem de Kooning and had painted a number of “Willem de Kooning paintings.” Later, he used their colors to paint his own paintings. He admired Pollock’s commitment to the entire rectangle and like him always painted an “all overness.” Close had been forced to study Klimt as a student, especially his drapery, with no real interest. Now, looking back, you can see Klimt all over his work.

Close found a way to work every day, in a manner that used to be called women’s work–like quilting or crocheting–where you knit one, pearl two, maintaining the same attitude with the same overall vision in mind, and don’t need to reinvent the wheel each time you enter the studio. You don’t need to wait to be inspired. You don’t need to separate your work from your life. You worked on it for a while and then you put it down. And, after a while, if you worked at it long enough, you ended up with a sweater.