Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2277606 in Books
• Published on: 2000-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: School & Library Binding
• 48 pages

From Publishers Weekly
According to PW's boxed review, "This beautiful and inspiring book, an ideal example of an artist biography, inspires readers to consider the possibilities of their own creativity." Ages 8-12. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 3 Up?Based on interviews, this is an inspiring look at the contemporary artist who struggled with learning disabilities as a youngster, became a celebrated painter in the late 1960s, and later overcame paralysis to continue creating huge portraits in which the image is created by a multitude of small abstract units. Sometimes Close makes the abstract units by inking his finger and pressing it on the canvas over and over. His way of working, as it developed from photorealism to his current unique style, with its relationship to computer art and photomechanical reproduction, is inherently interesting, while the way his portraits almost magically seem to emerge as one gets far enough away from the canvas is clearly shown in the excellent-quality full-color reproductions. Close's story is doubly inspiring, both for the discipline he has developed and for the importance in his life of friends and family. There is enough information for reports, but the book is engaging enough for pleasure reading. Also included are an essay, "What Is a Portrait?" illustrated with works by other artists; a bibliography (all adult titles); and a list of museums that have works by Close. Individual biographies of contemporary artists are still rather scarce. This one has more information than Mike Venezia's Jackson Pollock (1994) or Andy Warhol (1996, both Children's), and lacks the irreverent cartoons of those titles. Viewers will be instantly captured by the cover of this book, a detail of just the eyes and nose of one of Chuck Close's distinctive self-portraits.?Pam Gosner, formerly at Maplewood Memorial Library, NJ
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 4^-7. In a new joint venture, the authors of The Painter's Eye: Learning to Look at Contemporary American Art (1991) focus their attention on one of America's better-known contemporary artists. References to Close's wife and daughters, his learning disability, and the paralysis that put him in a wheelchair are here, but this is not a strictly chronological catalog of the specifics of his life; rather, it is a sketchy, somewhat uneven profile, but one that is full of energy and spirit, thanks in part to the inclusion of Close's own words. The real focus seems to be the artist's work (he's best known for his gigantic portraits) and what led Close to his particular choices of subject and style. As in the best adult art books, the pages here are slick and shiny, and the reproductions are excellent and intriguingly varied--from a striking detail taken from a self-portrait and a full-page head shot to a thumbnail sequence of photos picturing the artist at work in his studio. Broadening the value of the book for both budding artists and teachers is a brief discussion of portraiture, contributed by the authors. A tantalizing introduction to both the person and the art, this will leave readers eager to find out more; a short bibliography will help them get started. Stephanie Zvirin