Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is an oil painting by the Contemporary Realist artist Chuck Close. It dates from 1995 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1995, this oil on canvas portrait exemplifies Chuck Close’s approach to large‑scale realism. The work presents a close‑up of a human head and shoulders, rendered in a tightly controlled palette of black, white, gray and muted skin tones. It resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, reflecting the artist’s prominence in contemporary portraiture.
Subject & Meaning
The painting focuses on a single, unidentified sitter, emphasizing the physicality of the face rather than narrative content. By isolating the visage and rendering it in extreme detail, the work invites contemplation of perception, identity, and the way visual information is assembled by the viewer.
Technique & Style
Close employed his signature grid system, dividing the canvas into a lattice of minute squares and circles that function like pixels. Each unit is painted with precise brushwork, allowing tonal variations to emerge only when viewed from a distance. This method produces a dual experience: intimate detail up close and a cohesive image from afar.
History & Provenance
After a 1988 spinal occlusion left Close partially paralyzed, he adapted his process to accommodate limited mobility, relying on photographic references and the grid technique. Untitled was completed five years later and entered the Museum of Modern Art’s holdings, where it remains part of the institution’s contemporary realism collection.
Context
The piece belongs to the broader movement of contemporary realism that emerged in the late 20th century, intersecting photorealism and abstraction. Close’s work parallels earlier explorations of chiaroscuro in portraiture, yet his pixelated grid distinguishes his visual language, reflecting both technological influences and a personal response to physical constraint.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Thomas Close (July 5, 1940 – August 19, 2021) was an American painter, visual artist, and photographer who made massive-scale photorealist and abstract portraits of himself and others.
