All through his school years, Chuck Close struggled to make passing grades. Finding reading and comprehension an almost impossible task, it was his art that helped him finish high school with extra credit assignments. Later in life, Close realized that his struggles could be given a name--dyslexia.
Neurological research has proven that the dyslexic brain operates fundamentally differently from the non-dyslexic brain, mainly in that it uses the right-hemisphere for tasks normally centered in the left-hemisphere. Because a dyslexic brain requires more activity in the right hemisphere of the brain, the creative side, dyslexics are more apt to be creative thinkers, such as artists. Therefore, Chuck Close, with his brain predisposed to creative thinking, was not only born to be an artist, but also designed to create the art that he does.
Naturally at disadvantage in more than one area in his life, Close has always found a way to cope and compensate for problems with creative solutions. This thesis first explores the means by which the artist used art as a coping mechanism for his learning disability. Through this art that originally helped him function, he stretched creative boundaries in all fields of two-dimensional art, while often combining the abstract and realistic poles of the artistic spectrum. This thesis specifically explores Chuck Closes roles in such movements as Photo-Realism as well as Process Art.
","abstract_html":"<p>All through his school years, Chuck Close struggled to make passing grades. Finding reading and comprehension an almost impossible task, it was his art that helped him finish high school with extra credit assignments. Later in life, Close realized that his struggles could be given a name--dyslexia.</p><p>Neurological research has proven that the dyslexic brain operates fundamentally differently from the non-dyslexic brain, mainly in that it uses the right-hemisphere for tasks normally centered in the left-hemisphere. Because a dyslexic brain requires more activity in the right hemisphere of the brain, the creative side, dyslexics are more apt to be creative thinkers, such as artists. Therefore, Chuck Close, with his brain predisposed to creative thinking, was not only born to be an artist, but also designed to create the art that he does.</p><p>Naturally at disadvantage in more than one area in his life, Close has always found a way to cope and compensate for problems with creative solutions. This thesis first explores the means by which the artist used art as a coping mechanism for his learning disability. Through this art that originally helped him function, he stretched creative boundaries in all fields of two-dimensional art, while often combining the abstract and realistic poles of the artistic spectrum. This thesis specifically explores Chuck Closes roles in such movements as Photo-Realism as well as Process Art.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Pongratz, Elizabeth Germain"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MA","degree_level":"Campus Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Art","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Bradford R. Collins"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2009,"date_issued":"2009-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2009-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:36:43Z","subjects":["Arts and Humanities","Classical Archaeology and Art History","Classics","American Contemporary Art","Art and the Brain","Chuck Close","Photo-Realism","Process Art"],"languages":[],"rights":["© 2009, Elizabeth Germain Pongratz"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/80","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Bradford R. Collins"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Pongratz, Elizabeth Germain"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Art"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Campus Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MA"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Arts and Humanities","Classical Archaeology and Art History","Classics","American Contemporary Art","Art and the Brain","Chuck Close","Photo-Realism","Process Art"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© 2009, Elizabeth Germain Pongratz"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/80"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["All through his school years, Chuck Close struggled to make passing grades. Finding reading and comprehension an almost impossible task, it was his art that helped him finish high school with extra credit assignments. Later in life, Close realized that his struggles could be given a name--dyslexia.
Neurological research has proven that the dyslexic brain operates fundamentally differently from the non-dyslexic brain, mainly in that it uses the right-hemisphere for tasks normally centered in the left-hemisphere. Because a dyslexic brain requires more activity in the right hemisphere of the brain, the creative side, dyslexics are more apt to be creative thinkers, such as artists. Therefore, Chuck Close, with his brain predisposed to creative thinking, was not only born to be an artist, but also designed to create the art that he does.
Naturally at disadvantage in more than one area in his life, Close has always found a way to cope and compensate for problems with creative solutions. This thesis first explores the means by which the artist used art as a coping mechanism for his learning disability. Through this art that originally helped him function, he stretched creative boundaries in all fields of two-dimensional art, while often combining the abstract and realistic poles of the artistic spectrum. This thesis specifically explores Chuck Closes roles in such movements as Photo-Realism as well as Process Art.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Life and Work of Chuck Close: 1940-1988"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Bradford R. Collins"],"dc:creator":["Pongratz, Elizabeth Germain"],"dc:description.abstract":["All through his school years, Chuck Close struggled to make passing grades. Finding reading and comprehension an almost impossible task, it was his art that helped him finish high school with extra credit assignments. Later in life, Close realized that his struggles could be given a name--dyslexia.
Neurological research has proven that the dyslexic brain operates fundamentally differently from the non-dyslexic brain, mainly in that it uses the right-hemisphere for tasks normally centered in the left-hemisphere. Because a dyslexic brain requires more activity in the right hemisphere of the brain, the creative side, dyslexics are more apt to be creative thinkers, such as artists. Therefore, Chuck Close, with his brain predisposed to creative thinking, was not only born to be an artist, but also designed to create the art that he does.
Naturally at disadvantage in more than one area in his life, Close has always found a way to cope and compensate for problems with creative solutions. This thesis first explores the means by which the artist used art as a coping mechanism for his learning disability. Through this art that originally helped him function, he stretched creative boundaries in all fields of two-dimensional art, while often combining the abstract and realistic poles of the artistic spectrum. This thesis specifically explores Chuck Closes roles in such movements as Photo-Realism as well as Process Art.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/80"],"dc:rights":["© 2009, Elizabeth Germain Pongratz"],"dc:subject":["Arts and Humanities","Classical Archaeology and Art History","Classics","American Contemporary Art","Art and the Brain","Chuck Close","Photo-Realism","Process Art"],"dc:title":["The Life and Work of Chuck Close: 1940-1988"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Art"],"thesis:degree_level":["Campus Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["MA"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:36:43Z"}