Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration at the White Cube

I have always admired the work of Chuck Close, but have mainly known him from his paintings. When I read about his exhibition of Prints at the White Cube, I had to go. I'd never seen his work in person before and really wanted to get a sense of the scale and a look up close at the detail of some of his works.

The exhibition was definitely not a disappointment. Two things that really struck me were colour and technique. Close really understands colour in a way I don't feel I ever could. I imagine it's something which comes from years of work and dedication. Close knows how to add layer upon layer of colour to make a photo realistic print. It's truly amazing to see.

As for technique, Close's work is very logical and methodical. Each piece is planned out before hand. The exhibition showcased charts, plans and diagrams created by Close before completing each piece, as well as showing the stages of some pieces and the woodblocks used for a series of woodcuts. This gave me a serious insight into the way the pieces were achieved.

 This is a tapestry! I believe it is machine made, however the work involved in planning the piece and colours must have been great.

 

The details of this series were amazing, up close you can see every separate colour, like pixels. Standing back, the colours are spot on.

 

This series showed the build up of colours used to make the final print. 

This frame was a kind of metal stencil used to plan the grey paper pulp piece below. There were tiny numbers on the frame to indicate different shades of grey.

 This painting has now been produced as a woodcut!

Another tapestry

Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration was at the White Cube, Bermondsy from 6th March - 21st April