Chuck close is one of the few artists that has been able to push the medium, and his work as he has aged. His persistence, vision, and personal technique amazes me every time I see his work. His self-portraits make you go back and forth. You need to be at a distance not only to see the whole image, but also to have it come into focus. At the same time, you want to get very close to explore and and study his technique. It is mesmerizing to see the few simple forms he uses inside squares and rectangles, and how this shapes can render an image at a distance. You see the little triangles, donuts, circles, a banana-like shape, etc. each surrounded by a square, or a rectangle which forms part of the grid he works with. Up close you also notice that the almost black areas are also made up of these grids and forms. I would like to get better at art to try making a self-portrait like this much like my brother did.