- published: 30 May 2013
- views: 130526
Charles Thomas "Chuck" Close (born July 5, 1940) is an American painter and photographer who achieved fame as a photorealist, through his massive-scale portraits. Though a catastrophic spinal artery collapse in 1988 left him severely paralyzed, he has continued to paint and produce work that remains sought after by museums and collectors.
Close was born in Monroe, Washington. His father died when he was eleven years old. Most of his early works are very large portraits based on photographs (Photorealism or Hyperrealism technique) of family and friends, often other artists. In an interview with Phong Bui in The Brooklyn Rail, Close describes an early encounter with a Jackson Pollock painting at the Seattle Art Museum: "I went to the Seattle Art Museum with my mother for the first time when I was 11. I saw this Jackson Pollock drip painting with aluminum paint, tar, gravel and all that stuff. I was absolutely outraged, disturbed. It was so far removed from what I thought art was. However, within 2 or 3 days, I was dripping paint all over my old paintings. In a way I’ve been chasing that experience ever since."
Scott Blake was born in Tampa, Florida in the autumn of 1976. Nearing the turn of the millennium, Blake created a series of artworks that involved reworkings of barcodes to create artwork. Barcode art was something that quickly became an internet thread. It was largely unknown exactly where this fad had originated from. His work has been shown at various galleries and featured in magazines such as The New York Times, FHM and Adbusters. His site has also been translated in many languages. For his efforts and vision, he was recognized by the Adobe Design Achievement Awards. He currently lives in Omaha, Nebraska.
Similar to the works of Pop Art, Scott Blake elected to use usual everyday images to produce his art. His early works were based entirely on the idea of creating images and art from barcodes, which are ubiquitous in today’s world. But unlike Pop Art, he used barcodes as a tool and image, such as his portraits which were made entirely from bar codes. Blake had started this project around the time of the Y2K bug craze and the turn of the millennium. Around this time, there was a craze with barcode style artworks and designs. It is unclear whether Scott Blake had direct input on this popularized phenomena.
It's too late, she's gone
Too Late Too Late
It's too late, my baby's gone
Too Late Too Late
Wish I had told her she was my only one
But It's too late, she's gone
It's a weak man that cries
Boo Hoo Hoo
So I guess I'd best dry my eyes
Yes I will miss her more than anyone
But it's too late she's gone
She's gone, Ah she's gone
She's gone, my baby's gone
She's gone, yes she's gone
Where can my baby be?
I wonder does she know
Too Late, Too Late
When she left me, it hurt me so
Too Late, Too Late
I need your lovin, please don't make me wait
And Tell me it's not too late.
Music Interlude
I need your loving, please don't make me wait
And tell me it's not too late