By chance, I went to see Chuck Close's work in the White Cube Bermondsey, London. I wasn't so keen on his work before. When I got there I realized that I didn't know his work. I only knew the result. And I didn't really like the result, but the process and the tools he had developed impressed me, inspired me. Now I can tell you that I have completely changed my mind! His work is amazing. Going to this exhibition was a great lesson about all print techniques he uses. I've been really inspired by the process and tools he invents to make each project exceptional.
He is this type of person who can spend hours, days and months exploring a technique and getting the best out of it. In my opinion, this work is a task of a master technician who has become an artist because the way he explores the techniques. This exhibition showed the processes he used in creating a dozen pieces of art, from the tools he made for each step, to the result he wanted to obtain. From printmaking, or etching and Japanese wood-block prints to paper pulp editions, he experiments with all types of processes to create 'heads'. We would call them 'portraits' as his work is based on photographic portraits taken in extreme close-up.
In this exhibition, you could see a selection of a few steps of a silk screen print using more than 100 colours. Which means more than 100 screens to draw, adjust and print it! You could see a portrait, which looks like a black and white picture of 1,5 m x 2 m approx. But close-up you suddenly realise that is a really amazing piece of weaving. He impressed me a lot, maybe because I know a little bit about all these techniques, but I have to admit the fact that they were too time consuming for me personally.
Here are some pictures of just the tools. You can see the results in an earlier article: Chuck Close Colored Pixels
And you can watch this beautiful interview with Chuck Close where he explains how he considers the time in his work and life:
Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration, White Cube Bermondsey, London
