Chuck Close said when a problem seems overwhelming, you should break it down into smaller pieces. To tackle the photorealistic faces, Chuck Close would use a grid. He broke the image down into sections allowing him to focus on the lines, shapes, and proportions one little bit at a time. In his early works, he would erase the grid as he painted, but as he matured, he chose to lean into the grid. He not only left it visible, but in many works he emphasized it making the paintings appear almost pixilated as the viewers see every square he plotted. As a child, he wanted to be a magician, but couldn’t resist revealing how the tricks were done. For him, it was more impressive when you see the work that produces the magic, and I gotta say I agree.

Arts Madness Tournament links:

• Check out the Brackets
• Tell me which artist you think will win this year's tournament
• Give a shoutout to your favorite teacher (the teacher who gets the most shoutouts on this form by Feb 27 will get a $50 Amazon gift card)

Who ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast.

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