We are innately drawn to the human face; that must explain why Chuck Close's many portraits are irresistible. Working from a photograph of his subject, Close puts a grid on the photo and on the canvas and then carefully applies color, cell by cell. Over the years, the grid has evolved from a near-invisible aid for transferring the image to a bold compositional element. Abstract up close, his portraits are dazzling mosaics of iridescent color that we are hard-wired to discern as a nose, a mouth, eyes, and other features. Chuck Close (b. 1940) has been a groundbreaking figure in American art since the 1970s. In 2000 he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. Self-Portrait, 2004-2005 by Chuck Close (American, b. 1940). Puzzle size 20 x 25 in. (50.8 x 63.5 cm) | 
