CHUCK CLOSE

For the past 6 months or so I've been obsessed with documentaries. I've actually watched over 100 at this point. So many great ones, I'll post a list of my favorites eventually. Last week I watched 'Chuck Close: A Portrait in Progress'. Watch the trailer below.

I've always been a huge fan of Chuck Close's portraits and am fascinated by his process (especially in his later pieces after he became a paraplegic). His body of work consists of portraits that have been classified as realist, minimalist and abstract expressionist, but as the documentary proves, his commitment to his vision and his evolving techniques defy any simple categorization. I think its a really poignant study on contemporary art in general, specifically abstract art. I've heard so many friends look at work by artists like Rothko, Tuttle, Eva Hesse and even Basquiat and say, "I could do that". Chuck Close's incredible later work proves that abstract art is about the process, its about the tiny fragments or disjointed parts that come together to create a whole. It's about the artist's vision and how that vision is interpreted by its viewers. I think this documentary does a really good job showing what lies at the core of abstract art. Close is a visionary and it's really amazing to watch him in the studio at work. Here are a few of my favorite Close pieces. Watch the documentary on Netflix and iTunes.