We will view the film "Chuck Close: A Portrait in Progress" in class. Over Thanksgiving break, respond to the following questions in paragraph form.
1. Describe Close's work. How has it changed over time? Do you favor his early or late work? Explain.
2. Does photo realism have artistic merit, or are photo realists merely "one-trick ponies"? What would Plato or Leo Tolstoy say about Close's work? (use at least one quote from both philosophers to defend your statement).
3. As you have learned, Chuck Close suffered a collapse of a spinal artery which left him partially paralyzed. Explain the modifications he makes to continue his artwork and what these adjustments reveal about his character.
4. In the Jackson Pollock BBC film, we learned that Pollock's personal and artistic downfall was fueled by his decision to reveal his process in a documentary. Having viewed Chuck Close's process, do you gain more respect and understanding for his work? Or, do you think his images lose their mystique now that you have seen his process?
20 comments:
1. Chuck Close, a realistic painter from New York has underwent many changes
over time he was living. In the beginning of his career in art Close was more interested
in creating “painting experiences for the viewer.” Beginning his paintings of self-portraits, he chose to pay attentive to detail to create a very realistic picture of family, friends, and himself. Using a gridded photograph, his portraits become life-like over time by applying careful strokes of multi-color or grayscale. Gradually, he turned to painting more glossy mirror looking portraits. Personally, I think both his early and late work are equally well done, but I seem to like his later work more. The way he paints these pictures from those of his earlier ones is really cool. It looks like rain had just dripped over the picture of someone’s face creating a dimensional but different look to it. The distortion of the face is fun to look at too.
2.
3. When Chuck Close became paralyzed he knew he wouldn’t be able to enjoy the things he used to such as playing with his kids in the yard of his house. His disabilities did not stand in the way of his artwork however; by having surgery on his arm he got a cast and electronic device that could be easily accessible for painting. Working from a wheelchair, Close was able to pursue his love for his artwork with people to help him around his studio in New York City. While he was in the hospital, doctors were unsure that he would make it more than a few months. His wife demanded them to give him a paintbrush and some paints to work with during his therapy to recoup. Chuck Close’s personal issues didn’t change his motivation and determination to continue painting making him one of the most well respected American photo realists.
4. I think that the whole thought out process that Chuck Close is what makes his work so fascinating. After viewing his documentary video on Pollock and Close it helps to pick point the goods and bads of each artist. I did gain more understanding and more so the respect towards the time consumed into painting each individual portrait by Chuck, especially with his paralyzation.
5. The three artists shared by my classmates that were from France were: Monet, DaVinci, and Amber Robbins Goodin. In Kate B’s image the subjects were playing cards. Emily found a fantastic image of Santa.
Liv-
1.) Over the years, Chuck Close has experimented in different methods for painting the “faces” that he is known for. In the early years of his work, the painting of faces looked like that captured in photography. Close’s painting methods have included using black paint on white canvases, air brushing and fingerprints; however, all forms of art have used a system of a grid, and in effect breaking the painting down. Personally, I like Chuck’s later work, such as his self portrait from 2000 which we watched him create in the documentary.
2.) Photo realism definitely has artistic merit and artists who specialize in this form of art should not be considered “one-trick ponies”. As shown in the film, Chuck Close was always interested in art, even taking lessons in art at a young age. Photo realism is not the only art that Close has created, yet it is what he does best and enjoys the most. Even though I may feel that photo realism is a worthy art form, both Plato and Leo Tolstoy would adamantly disagree. Plato would argue “we seem to be pretty well agreed that the artist knows little or nothing about the subjects he represents and the art of representation is something that has no serious value.” Plato thought all art, Close’s work included, are just images far removed from the truth. Leo Tolstoy did not see the importance of art and felt the effort put into the arts was fruitless. Tolstoy’s beliefs can be summed up in his words of “art is becoming something more and more vague and indefinitely in people’s minds.”
3.) An unexpected collapse of a spinal artery left Chuck Close partially paralyzed and because of this “event” he has had to make adjustments to how he paints. Even with the aid of a brace to hold the paintbrush, Chuck must use two hands to paint for control. Although physically limited, Close has not limited the quality of the art he creates. Using a sort of elevator to shift the canvas, Close can manipulate where he wants to paint on the giant canvas by using the remote control.
4.) After viewing Chuck Close’s documentary I have gained more respect for him and his paintings, unlike Jackson Pollock’s impression on society. Although seeing a handicapped artist instead of just the product of his work may play with our emotions, I feel that seeing the process itself helped me to gain more respect. To view his working environment and listen to the blues music that he finds inspiration in actually make his paintings more appreciable. No matter what the artist is like, the quality of the artwork should be based on the artwork itself, and not what the camera catches with both Jackson Pollock and Chuck Close’s work.
5.) Cezanne, Renoir, and Monet are all artists from France. (I found it interesting that Claude Monet was colorblind) The subjects in Kate’s painting were two older men playing cards. Emily M. was the one who found the awesome image of Santa. ( I really liked that one too) Aliya’s artist is from Kenya and paints a lot of works depicting Kenya’s Revolutionary War.
Lauren Southworth
Visual A
Good work, Lauren.
1. Chuck Close has a interesting perception of art. At the beginning of his career he used very large photographs that appeared to have a realer sense to them. In his later work Chuck used a similar style, but began to use grid work and reconstructs his works with paint. I favor his later works because there is a lot more going on than his earlier works. The paint gives it a deeper meaning that just a photograph.
2. In my opinion, photo realism has immense artist value. The work of Close is very inspiring and he has a brilliant mind for both his early and later works with photographs. Plato would disagree with my statements. He would not like the fact that he switched his styles of artwork. Plato states that “Hardly any human being is capable of pursuing two professions or two arts rightly.” Tolstoy would be appreciative of the works of Chuck Close. Tolstoy said “Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced.”
3. Despite the injury Chuck Close suffered, he was able to make modifications that enabled him to peruse his love of art . When Chuck recovered from his injury, he at first had to hold the brush between his teeth because he had no movement in his hands. As his recovery continued, he was able to use a brace on his hand to hold the paintbrush. The modifications he made shows how devoted he was to being an artist. With the courage and heart play a vital role in his character and artwork.
4. Seeing the documentary of Chuck Close definitely gave me more respect and understanding of his work. The process of his artwork allowed me to see how much devotion and hard work he puts into his work. I was also able to see time consuming and meticulous his artwork was opposed to Jackson Pollock.
5. The three artists that were from France were Monet, Renoir, and Goddin. In Kate Baird’s image two men were playing cards. Emily Medieros found an image of a jacked Santa and Aliay’s artist was from Kenya.
Chris Jordan
A block Vis Imag
1. Chuck close did his work at the chuck close studio in Nyc. He does many self portraits. He used series of strokes and made a color world. I favor his new work better because it is more unique and fascinating.
2.Photo realism has artistic merit. Plato or Leo Tolstoy would say his work is unique and fascinating.
3. Chuck went to rehab hospitals and never gae up regardless of his condition.
4.Yes, I gain more respect and understanding for his work.
5.3 artists from france are monet, da vinchi and amber robbins goodin. kate b'ssubjects were card players. Emily found the fantastic image of Santa.
-lindsay
1. Chuck Close' s work is very unique and enjoyable to look at. Over time it has changed in many various ways. For example, his earlier work was done of everyday situations, such as those with familiy and friends. He also did alot of work with self portraits, always depicting himself differently. As years passed, his work focused on self portraits, while using a grid with individual paintings/ photographs within it. Both Close's earlier work and later work are amazingly done. However, I woul dhave to favor his later work because that is when you realized how dedicated he was and how he woul dstop at nothing to paint, and to do it well. Once he become paralyzed, he could have thrown in the towel and given up, bu the didn't because art was his passion, and this became evident in his much later work.
2. I feel that photo realism does have artistic merit. Also, that the artist are not 'one trick ponies'. Artists spend alot of time and effort on their work, and their talent does not appear over night. The artists are dedicated and put much of their life into their work. Chuck Close, for example, started painting and getting into art when his dad got him an isle for his fifth christmas. Ever since he had been working and improving his skills. Although, Plato and Tolstoy would disagree. Plato would say, "Close mimiced the craftsman, and that his work meant very little to him." Tolstoy would say, "it is a waste of time, money, and effort." He did not feel it was worth it.
3. After Chuck Close's injury, he did not give up. To help him heal faster he started painting again while in the hospital. For the remainder of his life, he know has to paint from a wheelchair and a brace aroun dhis hand which helps him hold a brush. He needs to use both hands to keep his brush steady. Although, it is oviously more difficult for Close to work, his determination to continue instead of giving up after his injury, shows alot about Chuck Close's character, and how passionate he his for art.
4. After watching the documentry I have gained more respect and understanding for his work. It enables you to show they struggles he faced and the amount of work, love, and dedication put behind each piece. I also feel that getting a deeper view on the artist himslef helps to form what he was trying to ge tout of each piece. For example, Close reviels that the color blue makes him happy. Now, if we did not know this about Close, and we saw a piece of work from him that used a lot of hues of blue, we might come to the conclusion that the art symbolizes sorrow or depression, when it actually is joy and happyness.
5. Monet, Renoir, and Cezanne are three artists, shared by my classmates, that are from France. The two subjects in Kate B. image where elder men, playing a game of cards together, in a sence of relaxation and getting away from the rest of the world. The two mens bodies were disportional to other parts of their bodies. Emily was the on ewho found the fantastic image of Santa. Aliya's artist, Amber Gooden, who painted 'Through the Mist', was from Kenya, and painted images during the Revolutionary War. She was known for her Activinism throughout these times.
- Laura Ready vis.imag.A
Emily Medeiros
1. Close’s work, though hard to understand at times, is rather compelling. In his recent works, he takes photographs of peoples’ heads, examines them, and then uses a grid to break up the important elements. Then he uses the basic hues of colors from his subject(s) to create a gigantic picture composed of blotches of color; so it is basically like large scale Monet art work. In the beginning of his artistic career, he painted more realistic images, mostly in black and white. He also did a lot of sketches because he was physically apt to do so. I favor his late work because I can appreciate it more. It takes him a tremendous amount of effort to paint a blotch of paint on a canvas, and even for someone without his disabilities, it is still something hard to do.
2. Of course photo realism has artistic merit. In my opinion, it takes skill and hard work accompanied by patience in order to take each section of a photo (piece by piece) so that one can produce the same thing on canvas. Plato once said, “ Never discourage anyone...who continually makes progress, no matter how slow.” In other words, it takes Close a great amount of time to produce his artwork, not only because of his disabilities, but because his style of art is rather time consuming. Thus, even though we may not agree that his methods are considered art, we should respect his style for the sole purpose that he (Close) continues to produce works of art for his passions./quote/2514.html According to Tolstoy, “Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced.” If we spend time thinking that art, including sketching, sculpting, painting, computer graphic design, etc, is a way to pass time or just a chore, then we are wasting a lot of time and precious brain cells. What Close has experienced, he recreates through his artwork, his feelings are resembled through each blotch of color that he splatters on his canvas. Even his physicality is reflected through the ways in which he creates art.
3. An artist is an artist, weather he or she is black, white, Asian, blind, dumb, death, or a paraplegic. Chuck Close’s disability makes him no less of an artist; in fact, it is only an enduing characteristic of his passion for art, which sets him apart from others. Monet was color blind for the last years of his career, yet, he continued to produce beautiful works of art that have touched ours soles. Because he has partially lost the motor skills in his hands, Close has a device on his hand in which he straps a paint brush to in order to hold it. He also has a team of apprentices that help him take pictures and set up his station so he can paint. In his studio, he has a machine that turns his canvas around so he can continue to paint on all sides. This just shows how passionate Close is for his love of art.
4. I think, seeing how Close struggles to produce his artwork, makes a huge impression in my mind. What would you rather receive for Christmas: a scarf that your Grandmother hand knitted with her arthritic hands, or an Ipod? I myself would rather receive the scarf because it took more time and effort to make it. It is virtually the same thing with art, in this case, Chuck Close’s art. Pollock did not have a physical handicap, nor was he that compassionate for his artwork so that nothing could stop him.
5. Degas, Monet, Cezanne
Playing Cards
Me: Emily Medeiros
San Juan
1. Chuck Close’s work changed over time. In his early work he painted the large heads done in photo-realism style. He worked with air brushing and even finger printing. His more recent work uses little patches of many different colors that, when seen from a far show his subject. All his work was done using a grid system, in which the subject’s face was broken down into many smaller sections and recreated section by section on a large canvas. I personally favor Chuck Close’s later work because it is more unique and interesting to me. I really like how some parts of the face he puts in focus and some out of focus.
2. Photo-realism has a lot of artistic merit. Although you might think it would be easier because you can just copy form a picture, in reality I believe it would take a lot of skill. There is not a lot of creative freedom when you want someone to look so real, and any mistakes would ruin the sense that the painting is a picture. I do not think you could classify photo realists as “one-trick ponies” because some artists can do many other styles of painting, and just choose to focus on photo-realism. Tolstoy would argue that Chuck Close is wasting his time with art and it is only causing him to suffer. He would wonder who Chuck Close is painting for and of all art there is, “no one in the world who can be touched by such a performance - of that there can be no doubt.” Plato would argue that Chuck Close is distancing himself form god and becoming the third step away form reality. He would say Close’s work is, “easy to produce without any knowledge of the truth, because they are appearances and not realities”.
3. After Chuck Close suffered from a spinal injury that paralyzed him, he was no longer able to do many of the things he once enjoyed, such as gardening. Chuck Close truly loved painting though and he decided he would continue to paint. He had to get a tool to put around his hand that would hold his brush and he had to paint from his power chair, but he was not going to let that stop him. This determination to keep doing what he loved, despite physical difficulties, shows us how much painting meant to Chuck Close and how strong and resilient he is.
4. Instead of paintings losing their credibility when their process is revealed, as Pollock’s work was in his documentary, Chuck Close’s work gained more respect. Right away you gain more respect for Chuck Close when you see how he paints despite his physical disabilities. My respect for him kept increasing the more I saw him work. The amount of thought Chuck Close put into every detail, including just where the grid was placed on the pictures showed his meticulous and thoughtful talent and hard work. When you see how long it took Chuck Close to get everything exactly the way he wanted you cannot help but appreciate his work. The fact that every little square section of the painting contains five to seven colors just to get the effect of one color from a distance shows his remarkable understanding of value and attention to detail.
5. Three French artists: Laura’s – Pierre Auguste Renoir, Sam’s – Claude Monet, and Jess’s – Edgar Degas; Subjects in my painting: two men playing cards; Emily found a fantastic image of Santa; Aliya’s artist was from Kenya
-Kate Baird
1) Close started by trying to imamate another artist. When he first started he used black and white and only dots to for the picture. Later on in his work he went for photo-realism, which was a painting so real it look identical to a photograph. After that he began distorting the pictures with color to make it look interesting. I think I like the earliest work for some reason I can just connect with painting that are in black in white. I think it is because it gives so much more meaning.
2) Anything that makes you think is art. So yes this is art. Tolstory would most likely say something like instead of painting a realist picture go out and make a house. Tolstoy claims “that professionalism causes a lack of sincerity in the artist, and argues that if an artist must earn a living by producing art, then the art which is produced is more likely to be false and insincere” Plato would say something along the lines that this art is so “Art is imitation” and that this artist was just trying to do what god was doing.
3) Close had many helpers. He had a metal contraption on his arm to help him steady his arm as he paints. His canvas is held on by wires in which a computer turn and moves it so that Close wont have to. He has a motorized scooter so he can get around. I think this shows that he is determined and that art to him is like breathing without it you rather be dead.
4) In the movie you didn’t really see the whole process. You only saw bits and pieces so it still left that mystery that the Jackson Pollock film doesn’t. I think this movie helped you understand Close and made you think about how great of an artist Close really is.
5) Monet Da Vinci Goodin .. two old men playing cards or chess. Emily Mediros found a picture of Sants. Kenya was the country
Aliya N Little
1 When Chuck Close started painting his self portraits looked like photographs. Close now uses grids to create his paintings. He also uses several different colors through the boxes to make it look like a face. As the painting goes on you can see an entire head.
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3 After Chuck Close became paralyzed he used a motored wheel chair. He also had a very big board that would spin around so he could get to the different areas. He could move it up and down and side to side.
4 I have a lot of respect for Chuck Close because he continued to do what he loved after he became paralyzed. Many people would just stop what they love if something like that happened to them. But Chuck Close kept pursuing with what he loved.
5 The three artists from France are Monet, Amber Robbins Goodin and Da Vinci. In Kate Bairds painting they were playing cards. Emily found the painting of Santa. Aliyas painting was from Kenya
Chris Lenihan
1. Close's artwork had overcome many changes throughout his years as a painter. What drastically changed it was when he was in the hospital and could not walk, it took him longer to paint his work. Detail was always a major component and he took his time with his work. The one he spent most of his time on was his self portrait, picking the right photo, paying close attention to every detail and component. I personally favored his late work because it showed how deticated he was nad how passionate and you could see that in his work.
2. Photos are realsitic but can be turned into art, many artists start with photos and snapshots. Plato and Tolstoy would not have liked his work because they believe everything as black and white, very simple. His artwork goes deep into thought and expression which is not what they practice as artists.
3. After Chuck Close was paralyzed he showed that you never let anything take away your passions or your dreams, if you are serious enough about them, they will stay with you forever. He certainly did not let anything get in the way of his dreams, that's for sure. Still after what happened to him, he continued painitng and made his work the best it could be.
4. After viewing his process I think it takes away the mystery in his work and doesn't let your mind wonder as much, you are being told what to think about his work. It was interesting ot see how he got started and why the style he chose but in my opinion I like to think what could be going on in his work.
5. Davinci, Amber Robbins Goodin, and Monet were all from France. Emily found the picture of Santa, in Kate B's image the subjects are were playing a card game, and Ailya's artist was from Kenya.
-Lindsay B.
1. Chuck Close’s early work consisted of drawings that were photo realistic. As he became older, Close began to take images, recreate them with grids, and paint each and every square with various combinations of colors. I personally favor his later work because it is extremely complex, and it is an incredible ability to paint an image square by square without looking at the big picture. However; I still have a lot of respect for his early works of art because the photo realistic pictures thoroughly demonstrate his talents.
2. Photo realism absolutely has artistic merit. As we saw in the Chuck Close film, his art work takes a tremendous amount of work and effort. He took an ordinary image of himself and made it extraordinary by painting it in his unique way or drawing it as if it was an actual image. Tolstoy would probably appreciate Close’s work because, “a real work of art destroys in the consciousness of the recipient the separation between himself and the artist,” which Close’s work certainly does. On the other hand, Plato would say that Close’s art only, “resembles ‘what is’ without being it.” In Plato’s opinion, Close took a picture of the original object ( himself ) and then painted the image of the object, so it is far from the real thing.
3. After Close’s spinal artery collapse, Close had to have a device installed to even hold a paintbrush. Being paralyzed, Close is forced to spend the rest of his painting career in a wheelchair in which in order to paint the various areas of his images, he had a rotating device for his painting. These adjustments reveal that he is a very determined and dedicated painter, for even though his disability discouraged and prevented him from painting, he did not just give up.
4. After viewing Chuck Close’s process in painting, I have gained even more respect for his artwork. Even though Close revealed his process, I still am in awe of how one person can paint various grid squares that in combination create an amazing image. Up close they look like a bunch of colors, however; somehow they all contribute to the overall picture. Unlike Jackson Pollock, Close seems to put a tremendous amount of effort and time into his images.
5. Among the various images from class, Monet, Renoir, and DaVinci are all from France. Kate’s image was of two men playing cards, Emily found that amazing image of Santa, and Aliya’s artist was from Kenya.
-Taylor
Visual Imag. A
1. American photo realist Chuck Close has transformed the style of his work over time. He is known for using a grid system to depict faces of people who are important to him. However, in the beginning his pieces highly resembled actual photographs. He uses methods such as airbrushing, painting, and using fingerprints to create his images. His later work uses more unusual colors and strays from a real-life depiction. I prefer his later work because it is more colorful and unique.
2. Photo realism has artistic merit. Photo realists are not “one-trick ponies” Close even took art lessons. Photographs are considered to be art therefore, photo realism has definite merit in the art world. Plato and Tolstoy would not agree. Plato would most likely say that “… the work of the painter and all other representative artists was far removed from the truth and associated with elements in us equally far removed from reason...” meaning that art is worthless because it is thrice removed from God. Tolstoy would say , “ ...it is difficult to say generally what is understood as art, and particularly as good, useful art, in the name of which such sacrifices as are offered to it may rightly be offered.” This means that he believes art is a waste of time which could be better spent doing something worthwhile.
3. When Chuck Close became unexpectedly paralyzed he had to modify his working methods so he could continue to paint. While in rehab his wife demanded they give him a paintbrush and paints. He uses a wheelchair around his studio and has a device which holds the paintbrush to his hand. In the face of a tragedy Close did not give up and still creates works of art today.
4. Personally I gained more respect and understanding for Close’s process after viewing the film. It does take away some of the mystique but it also adds another element of the intricacy of his process. His process is very time consuming and I have a whole new respect for it. Watching the video helped me gain a sense of the different types of styles in the art world.
5. Three artists from France used in the image presentations are Cezanne, Renoir, and Degas. In Kate’s image two old men are playing cards. Emily found the image of Santa and Aliya’s artist was from Kenya.
-Jess Quintanilha
1. Chuck Close began his career by painting photo-realistic images. This is something he did by accident, but he stuck with it. This style involves shading in a very specific way, to show part of a subject as less focused than the rest, thereby imitating the effect of a camera lens. As time progressed, he gradually made the switch to painting pixilated images, this time mimicking the appearance of a digital image, such as a computer screen by painting squares on a grid, one at a time. I would say that I enjoy both styles of art and they both take incredible time and talent. I especially find it fascinating how Close paints the pixilated images first with amazing colors, then goes back to make the coloring more realistic.
2. I believe photo realism definitely has artistic merit. It takes remarkable skill, time, and effort to create something so precise and authentic-looking. Photo realists cannot be construed as “one-trick ponies,” for each painting is different, with different reasons to admire them. Calling these artists “one-trick ponies” is akin to calling all artists of any other style of art, such as Impressionism, the same. Most likely, Tolstoy would disagree with this assessment. He questioned, “Is it that…art is such an important thing that such sacrifices should be offered to it?” He believed art in general was frivolous and did not have worth. Plato would also disagree with me, as he believed “pictures and poems are secondhand, unreal, and tell us nothing about life.” Both philosophers held a disdain for art that I cannot understand, for all of their worldly knowledge; they did not believe, as I do, that art is to be deeply appreciated for its skill and labor.
3. When Close suffered his injury, he refused to let it overcome his passion for art. At first, he put a paintbrush between his lips, for he could not move the rest of body. The first times he painted after his paralysis, he cried. Slowly, but surely, he set up a studio at his rehab facility in order to continue to pursue painting. As his condition improved, he made many modifications to his methods, but his art is as spectacular as before. He used technology to create a system for his canvas that could be adjusted to his limited mobility. He then acquired assistants to help him assemble materials and set up his workspace. The fact that he did not allow such a significant event to allay his ambitions and desires shows incredible strength, determination, and ingenuity.
4. Having viewed Chuck Close’s process, I do gain more respect for his work; although I got a glimpse of the method through which his images are designed, it still amazes me that someone can know exactly where and how to place certain colors. It is especially mind-boggling that he can do this at such a close perspective and still have the painting look just right from afar. Rather than lose its mystique, his artwork gains a whole new air of mystery.
5. Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Claude Monet are the artists from France. The subjects in Kate B.’s image were old men playing cards. Emily is the one who found the fantastic image of Santa, entitled “He Sees You When You’re Sleeping” by Britt Martin. Finally, Aliya’s artist was from Kenya.
1. Close does portraits of people’s faces, painting the contents of a picture onto another surface. As he aged and his style progressed, Chuck’s paintings became less and less realistic, and he began to use a grid overlay that enabled him to change from painting an entire image to painting hundreds of tiny, equal-sized boxes of color that combined to form the picture. I prefer his later works because they are more colorful.
2. Photo-realism does have artistic merit, because the amount of effort it takes to make a photorealistic image makes it art to me. While Plato would have disliked the fact that Close switched between two art styles “Hardly any human being is capable of pursuing two professions or two arts rightly.” (Thanks for the quote CJ!), Tolstoy would have thought that it was a waste of time that could have been devoted to something more important.
3. Close uses a special set-up in his studio that consists of a piece of canvas or similar material on a large chain that will lift or lower it whenever he wants to allow him to paint easily. This shows that he is very tenacious, and loves to paint so much that he is willing to make big adjustments in his life to do it.
4. I gain more respect for Close and his work after seeing how much adversity he has conquered to paint.
5. Cezzane, Monet, and Renoir were from France, the people in Kate’s image were playing cards, Emily found the sweet barbarian Santa, and Aliya’s artist was from Kenya.
By Darren Martins
Vanessa Corkery
Per. A blog on film
1- Close’s work had changed overtime. When he was younger he was partially paralyzed and had a spinal injury that enabled him to walk. So he was put in a wheelchair from when he went to the hospital. I favor his latest work the most because he has been partially paralyzed and he isn’t able to do the same things as he used to. I also think it’s really cool how each square creates something from far away. He is still painting even when he is in a wheelchair and it’s harder for him so that’s awesome that he’s really dedicated and didn’t give it up, he really enjoys painting since its his way to capture himself. He used to do portraits of people that he knew and when he was paralyzed he did a lot of grids and painted each box with a certain design and color so from far away you are able to see these colors and it shows a specific shade which in the long run will create a portrait. This is also a really time consuming way to do a portrait of someone and I give him credit for his efforts. Overtime his work has become more intense and this is a way that he has overcome himself being paralyzed.
2- Photo realism has artistic merit. Plato would say that Close’s work “is a painting of experience.” He believes that the more you practice the better you will get at it which is true for most cases and Close is only getting better at it the more he paints.
3- Chucks collapse of his spinal artery left him partially paralyzed, he was still able to do portrait paintings, he worked his way up until he able to be like he used to when he was first paralyzed and he was physically unable to paint. His wife told the nurses that he needs to reassure himself and he cant do this by sitting in a wheelchair, so they gave him some brushes and paints as well as canvas boards to help find his inner self and so he’s able to reassure himself. It shows that he really enjoys painting and he was still willing to be involved in it while he was partially paralyzed in a wheelchair.
4- I have more respect and understanding for Jackson Pollock’s work. I think it is interesting to know the message behind the painting and it personally makes me think of the painting with a higher value and it means more if you understand the story behind the painting. Others may not want to know the message, they may believe that if you don’t know its better that way and that is the true value if the painter puts it up to the viewer to decide what the message is. Me, personally for Jackson Pollock I understand more that I know about his process and it just seemed like pointless splattered paint and dripped paint on canvas but now I believe that’s not the case which makes it interesting to me.
5- In the student images shared during class there were many artists that were from different countries. Kate Beard, Emily Barros, and Daron Martin have images that are from France. The subject of Kate Beard’s image was two old men sitting at a table playing checkers and drinking coffee. Emily Barros had an image of Santa and Aliya’s artist was from Kenya.
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