Paul III
Chuck Close · 1996 · Cleveland Museum of Art
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From the museum
Get close to this painting (but not too close! Help keep the art safe!). What do you see? Does it look different when you step back? To make this painting of his friend Paul, Chuck Close began with a photograph. He placed a grid over the photo and transferred an enlarged version of that grid onto a canvas, using it to guide his work. He then filled in each square individually. Here, the grid forms a pattern of diamond shapes filled with vibrant circles, loops, and dots. Up close, the colors and shapes can feel like a kaleidoscope, always shifting as you move. From farther away, Paul’s facial features become clearer. In 2005, composer Phillip Glass was commissioned by concert pianist Bruce Levingston to write a 15-minute musical portrait of Close.
The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC0
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Details
- Maker
- Chuck Close (American, 1940–2021)
- Date
- 1996
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Framed: 259.6 x 213.5 x 7.5 cm (102 3/16 x 84 1/16 x 2 15/16 in.)
- Place of origin
- America
- Held by
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · On view · 001A ArtLens Exhibition
- Credit line
- Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund