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University of South Carolina

The Life and Work of Chuck Close: 1940-1988

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<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>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
MA
Level thesis:degree_level
Campus Access Thesis
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Art
Year
2009

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Pongratz, Elizabeth Germain
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Bradford R. Collins

Subjects

dc:subject × 8

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • © 2009, Elizabeth Germain Pongratz

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Repository record dc:identifier
https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/80
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:scholarcommons.sc.edu:etd-1081

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
University of South Carolina
Base URL
scholarcommons.sc.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Pongratz, Elizabeth Germain. The Life and Work of Chuck Close: 1940-1988. Campus Access Thesis thesis, 2009. https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/80