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Since 1969, when Chuck Close's first series of black and white heads was exhibited, his paintings have fascinated the public. Working from Polaroid photographs, Close paints his family, friends, and fellow artists. With his colossal heads, Close has operated on the edge between abstraction and representation. At first severe and confrontational, his portraits now explode with painterly energy and mesmerize the viewer with their mosaic surfaces. In childhood, Chuck Close sought out art as a way to overcome his learning disabilities. In 1988 Close, who was 48, suffered a collapse of the spinal artery, which left him partially paralyzed. his recovery and achievement in painting is nothing short of miraculous. Chuck Close: A Portrait in Progress traces the artist's evolution and follows close into the contemporary art community of New York where we encounter Leslie Close, Philip Glass, Mark Greenwold, Alex Katz, Dorothea Rockburne, Kiki Smith, and Robert Storr.
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