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


Text Citation

Label text for Chuck Close, Big Self-Portrait (1967-1968), from the exhibition Art in Our Time: 1950 to the Present, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, September 5, 1999 to September 2, 2001.

Object Details

Dimensions:  unframed 107.5 x 83.5 x 2 inches Inscriptions:  In paint reverse LM "Big Self Portrait Charles Close 1968 acrylic on canvas"; N.A. Classification:  Paintings Physical Description:  self-portrait of the artist Owner:  Walker Art Center Accession Number:  1969.16 Credit Line:  Art Center Acquisition Fund, 1969