I never said the camera was truth. It is, however, a more accurate and more objective way of seeing.
Chuck CloseRead
I don't want the viewer to be able to peel away the layers of my painting like the layers of an onion and find that all the blues are on the same level.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Chuck Close emphasizes the complexity and depth in his artwork, suggesting that viewers should experience multiple layers of meaning.
In this quote, Chuck Close articulates his desire for his paintings to have depth and complexity, so that viewers are engaged in a multifaceted experience rather than simply identifying uniform colors or elements. He uses the metaphor of an onion to illustrate that he wants each layer of his work to offer something unique and intricate, encouraging viewers to explore and interact with the art, rather than reducing it to its simplest components.
Themes
ArtLayersComplexityPaintingDepth
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during an art exhibition to explain the thought process behind a complex painting.
More from Chuck Close
All quotes →A photograph doesn't gain weight or lose weight, or change from being happy to being sad. It's frozen. You can use it, then recycle it.
Chuck CloseRead
The advice I like to give young artists, or really anybody who’ll listen to me, is not to wait around for inspiration. Inspiration is for amateurs; the rest of us just show up and get to work.
Chuck CloseRead
Neurologically, I'm a quadriplegic, so virtually everything about my work has been driven by my learning disabilities, which are quite severe, and my lack of facial recognition, which I'm sure is what drove me to paint portraits in the first place.
Chuck CloseRead
Part of the joy of looking at art is getting in sync in some ways with the decision-making process that the artist used and the record that's embedded in the work.
Chuck CloseRead
Losing my father at a tender age was extremely important in being able to accept what happened to me later when I became a quadriplegic.
Chuck CloseRead
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