#lucasi

Chuck Close, Lucas I

What are we made up of?  Painter Chuck Close, known for his large photo-realist portraits, alludes to that concept. In his painting entitled “Lucas I”, done in oil and graphite on canvas, Close uses multicolored dots to create a bigger image, employing a technique similar to ones used in his other paintings. When a viewer first glances at “Lucas I,” it appears to be solid shapes and colors, but, as the viewer moves closer, it becomes clear that is more to the painting than meets the eye. The painting is of his friend and fellow artist Lucas Samaras, and, while the name of the painting is casual, the depiction of him is very mysterious. Lucas is sitting for a portrait, because he is cropped from the shoulders up, and his eyes look straight at the viewer. This is not traditional line work; in fact there are no lines in the finished piece, only in the first draft of the under-painting. The smaller circular shapes work together to combine into one big image. The color in the painting is astounding. It’s almost an illusion the way the color changes from where the viewer is standing. The pointillism of the brush strokes is very reminiscent of Georges Seurat, a post-impressionist painter.

From far away, Lucas’s skin tone, hair color, and shirt color seem to be as they’d be perceived by the eye in everyday life. Close up is a different story. Colors like blues and reds and yellows and oranges, which a viewer wouldn’t consider to be part of a skin tone or a solid color, become visible. Close achieved this by gridding a photograph of Lucas, then reproducing each smaller square with the pigment seen in that section of the photograph. That way, color would be more accurate to what the eye sees before turning it into something more recognizable. I believe Close does this so the viewer who is skeptical about the painting has no choice but to come closer. Close wants to draw the viewer in with this tactic. All the elements used by Close work in harmony, so one missing element would not have the same effect on the viewer, or myself in particular.

I chose this painting to look at because I loved the style it was in, and I loved how the painting was technically done but had a whimsical effect. The painting grabbed my attention from far away, and the color kept me wondering about how Close came up with the idea to do this. Although Close could’ve just painted a simple portrait, to me it looks like he was commenting on the idea that although we are all people, there is more to us than what meets the eye. We are multi-faceted. To me, it is also a depiction of how there is a big picture, but smaller parts to that big picture. We mostly focus on ourselves, but we are not just ourselves. There are many parts that make us who we are. All in all, the painting is very beautiful and also makes the viewer question and think, which is what I believe Chuck Close intended. That is what art should make the viewer do.

Image Courtesy of The Met

Chuck Close, Lucas I

What are we made up of?  Painter Chuck Close, known for his large photo-realist portraits, alludes to that concept. In his painting entitled “Lucas I”, done in oil and graphite on canvas, Close uses multicolored dots to create a bigger image, employing a technique similar to ones used in his other paintings. When a viewer first glances at “Lucas I,” it appears to be solid shapes and colors, but, as the viewer moves closer, it becomes clear that is more to the painting than meets the eye. The painting is of his friend and fellow artist Lucas Samaras, and, while the name of the painting is casual, the depiction of him is very mysterious. Lucas is sitting for a portrait, because he is cropped from the shoulders up, and his eyes look straight at the viewer. This is not traditional line work; in fact there are no lines in the finished piece, only in the first draft of the under-painting. The smaller circular shapes work together to combine into one big image. The color in the painting is astounding. It’s almost an illusion the way the color changes from where the viewer is standing. The pointillism of the brush strokes is very reminiscent of Georges Seurat, a post-impressionist painter.

 From far away, Lucas’s skin tone, hair color, and shirt color seem to be as they’d be perceived by the eye in everyday life. Close up is a different story. Colors like blues and reds and yellows and oranges, which a viewer wouldn’t consider to be part of a skin tone or a solid color, become visible. Close achieved this by gridding a photograph of Lucas, then reproducing each smaller square with the pigment seen in that section of the photograph. That way, color would be more accurate to what the eye sees before turning it into something more recognizable. I believe Close does this so the viewer who is skeptical about the painting has no choice but to come closer. Close wants to draw the viewer in with this tactic. All the elements used by Close work in harmony, so one missing element would not have the same effect on the viewer, or myself in particular.

I chose this painting to look at because I loved the style it was in, and I loved how the painting was technically done but had a whimsical effect. The painting grabbed my attention from far away, and the color kept me wondering about how Close came up with the idea to do this. Although Close could’ve just painted a simple portrait, to me it looks like he was commenting on the idea that although we are all people, there is more to us than what meets the eye. We are multi-faceted. To me, it is also a depiction of how there is a big picture, but smaller parts to that big picture. We mostly focus on ourselves, but we are not just ourselves. There are many parts that make us who we are. All in all, the painting is very beautiful and also makes the viewer question and think, which is what I believe Chuck Close intended. That is what art should make the viewer do.

Made in China Comes in a protective sleeve Removable weight bolts This cue comes with a protective sleeve Does not come with joint protectors Replacement bumpers are available This cue is weight changeable Matching Extra Shafts are not available for this cueBumper: Black rubber Collar: Stainless steel Ferrule: XTC High Imact Ferrule Forearm: Ebony stained maple Joint: Uni-Loc quick release joint, stainless steel Pin: Stainless steel Uni-Loc Plate: Black composite material with Lucasi custom logo Rings: Nickel silver rings sandwiching a cocobolo ring on shaft, forearm and butt sleeve Shaft: 29 hard rock maple, 15 Pro Taper zero flex point low deflection shaft Sleeve: Ebony stained maple Tip: 13mm Tiger Everest Weight: 21 oz Wrap: Double pressed black Irish linen

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Lucasi LZD5-19 19 oz Ebony Stained Maple Cue