09-24-201009-25-2010
Skinner Auctions
Skinner AuctionsBoston MA
2517BBoston
September 24, 2010 12:00 PMCalender
669

Chuck Close (American, b. 1940) Untitled

Sell one like this
 
Auction: American & European Works of Art - 2517BLocation: BostonDate / Time: September 24, 2010 12:00PM

Description:

Chuck Close (American, b. 1940)

Untitled
Signed and dated "Close 1962" l.r.
Oil on canvas, 12 x 11 1/2 in. (30.5 x 29.2 cm),framed.
Condition: Craquelure, minor surface grime.

Provenance: Private Pacific Northwest collection through a gift from the artist.

N.B. Prior to photorealism, Close worked in an abstract expressionist vein roughly from 1958 to 1962, beginning with his freshman year at Everett Junior College to his senior year at the University of Washington.

Close immersed himself in the New York contemporary art scene vicariously, following the works of such artists as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning in his college library through reproduced plates in magazines and exhibition catalogues. (1) Of all the New York artists, he was particularly attracted to de Kooning because he continued to grapple with depicting the figure in abstraction.

The energy and ambition of the abstract expressionist approach resonated with Close, and once he found his passion for it, he worked feverishly in it. By peer accounts, he 'worked in a controlled frenzy…with a studied abandon' and at an 'insatiable' pace, frequently creating on several canvases at a time. (2)

Close's enthusiasm for abstract expressionism was further encouraged by two instructors, particularly Alden Mason at UW who shared an appreciation of de Kooning and worked in a gestural style. (3)

The present work engages with one of the challenges of abstract expressionism, which is to capture a sense of freedom in improvisation. The heavy-loaded and heavy-handed strokes convey a confident hand, and the staccato movements throughout gather a collective energy much larger than its size. It also shows an indebtedness to Hans Hoffman and de Kooning in exploring the relationship between figure and ground. The work was created in the same year that Close graduated from UW and began the Yale MFA program, and marks the end of a transitional period before he began to focus on portraits and photography.

(1) Finch, Christopher. Chuck Close: Work. New York: Prestel, 2010. pg. 23.
(2) Finch, Christopher. Chuck Close: Life. New York: Prestel, 2010. pg. 60.
(3) Ibid, 72.

Estimate $60,000-80,000

Keywords

Chuck Close, University of Washington, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Everett Junior College, Alden Mason, collective energy, Hans Hoffman, Yale MFA, Ibid