Chuck Close

Leslie, 2007

Oil on linen
182,9 × 152,4 cm

“A face is a road map of someone’s life. Without any need to amplify that or draw attention to it, there’s a great deal that’s communicated about who this person is and what their life experiences have been.” — Chuck Close
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Leslie, 2007, stands out as an exceptional and deeply personal portrait of artist’s former wife, Leslie Rose. Unfolding in a spectrum of gray tones this monumental painting mirrors the aesthetics of black-and-white photography. Meticulously crafted grids composed of interlocking abstract figures manifest Close’s legendary approach.
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Poised on the cusp of sharpening into photographic focus and dissolving into abstraction, the artwork conspires to draw the viewer into an intimate communion with the subject, fostering a lasting and captivating interchange.

Exhibitions

Chuck Close: Family and Others. White Cube, London, Oct–Nov 2007
Chuck Close: Seven Portraits. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Feb–Apr 2008

Publications

Chuck Close: Family and Others, White Cube, London, 2007, pp. 18–19, 32, 37
Chuck Close: Seven Portraits, State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, 2008, pp. 10–11, 35