Viewing Room | Chuck Close. Leslie, 2007

"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

A legendary portrait painter, master of photorealism and one of the most influential artists of his generation, Chuck Close revolutionized the art scene, transforming the canons of academic portrait and experimenting in different forms of expression—from Polaroid photography to oil painting.

Leslie, 2007, stands out as an exceptional portrait showcasing Close's legendary approach. Poised on the cusp of sharpening into photographic focus and dissolving into abstraction, the image echoes the techniques employed by Pointillists like Seurat and Signac, who created shimmering, prismatic landscapes. Close achieved a vibrant and intricately woven surface through the meticulous depiction of small, abstract bursts of color, offering a dynamic impression of the subject that transcends traditional portraiture.

"I think, now looking back the whole last number of years I've been painting my wife, my child, my children, my wife's grandmother, her parents, close friends — that this was a very cathartic experience for me […] This was a very sentimental journey for me, and these are images that were incredibly important and incredibly moving for me to make…"

– Chuck Close