Chuck Close's approach to the canvas was inspired by the non-hierarchical, all-over surface of American painting epitomized for him by the work of Abstract Expressionists such as Jackson Pollock. After taking a picture of his subject, Close makes photographic prints that he uses to transfer the images to canvas. Utilizing a technique devised by Renaissance masters and adapted by contemporary billboard painters, Close overlays a working print with a numbered and lettered grid, and then reproduces the image block by block.

In this format the image becomes a mosaic of black, gray, and white visual information that the artist replicates by spraying a mixture of black acrylic paint and water onto the canvas with an airbrush. Specific features like the illusion of light reflecting off the hairs of his beard were achieved by scratching paint from the surface of the canvas with a razor blade. Big Self-Portrait was the first of Close's no-signature series of monumental head-and-shoulder portraits.

Walker solo exhibition: Close Portraits, 1980

Chuck Close's approach to painting was inspired by the non-hierarchical, all-over surface of American painting epitomized for him by the work of Jackson Pollock. In Big Self-Portrait, Close overlaid a photograph of himself with a numbered and lettered grid, then reproduced the intricate visual details block by block--a technique devised by Renaissance masters and later adapted by contemporary billboard painters.

In this format the image became a mosaic of black, gray, and white visual information that the artist replicated by spraying a mixture of black acrylic paint and water onto the canvas with an airbrush. Specific features like the illusion of light reflecting off the hairs of his beard were realized by scratching paint from the surface of the canvas with a razor blade. Big Self-Portrait was the first of Close's now signature series of monumental head-and-shoulder portraits.

Big Self-Portrait was the first of Close's series of monumental head-and-shoulder portraits. After taking a picture of his subject, Close makes photographic prints that he uses to transfer the images to canvas. Using a technique devised by Renaissance masters and adapted by contemporary billboard painters, Close overlays a working print with a numbered and lettered grid, and then reproduces the image block by block.

In this format the image becomes a mosaic of black, gray, and white visual information that the artist replicates by spraying a mixture of black acrylic paint and water onto the canvas with an airbrush. Specific features like the illusion of light reflecting off the hairs of his beard were achieved by scratching paint from the surface of the canvas with a razor blade.