Chuck Close (1940–2021)

"Why do you only paint faces?"

"Why doesn't anyone in your art smile?"

"When you were paralyzed, were you afraid you wouldn't be able to paint again?"

These are some of the questions artist Chuck Close answers in his new autobiography for children. Filled with his portraits of mostly ordinary people, this book let's readers into Close's extraordinary life.

Born right here in Washington state in 1940, Close began taking art lessons at age 8. His severe dyslexia and prosopagnosia (face blindness) made school difficult, and so he put the full force of his attention into art. Over the years, Close developed his distinctive portraiture style featuring giant canvases filled with neutral faces, including many self-portraits. One great feature of this book is a section of Close's self-portraits divided horizontally into thirds so readers can mix and match his different works (you can see an example of this on the book's cover).

For 8- to 12-year-old budding artists and art lovers, there's no better non-fiction to read this summer. It's an inspirational story of an artist who overcame significant hardship to achieve success and fame.
… (meer)

Chuck Close's frighteningly intimate, deceptively straightforward portraits have become an indelible part of American art iconography. In The Portraits Speak, Close applies his close-range approach to interviews with artists he has painted over the years, including Kiki Smith, Philip Glass, William Wegman, Cindy Sherman. Each word portrait offers another candid glimpse into the minds of three generations of American artists and the world of contemporary art, giving an insider's view of the creative process. Dimension: 8¾ x 12¾, b&w reproductions.… (meer)