Chuck Close was born on July 5, 1940 paralyzed in 1988 from a spinal artery collapse. He suffered from a condition as a child that made it difficult to lift his hands. He used ink, graphite, pastel, watercolor, conté crayon, finger painting, and stamp-pad ink on paper, printmaking techniques, hoofmade paper collage, Polaroid photographs, Daguerreotypes, and Jacquard tapestries in his portraiture. He often uses the grid technique. He says he is unable to recognize faces and portraiture helps him with this.
