Art Review

Chuck Close, Lucas/Rug (1993). Silk with linen wrap (79"x66")

            Chuck Close's Lucas/Rug (1993) is a handmade rug woven with richly colored silk. It depicts a bearded man staring out at the viewer. While the piece looks fairly realistic from afar, up close, it is composed of hundreds of small circles of solid color. Most of these colors are fairly distinct, even from a distance, but at close range, the illusion of the face is lost and many colored circles take its place. This could perhaps be an attempt to create an organic interpretation of photographs composed of pixels -- small dots of solid color that, in mass, create the illusion of a smooth image. Is this perhaps a statement on photo-realism and how even photos have their own organic qualities? There is a concentration of saturated hues in the center of the rug. These gradually darken in value until the edges of the piece look nearly black. This, along with the illusion of lines radiating out of the central point of the piece draw focus to the point right between the man's eyes, so making his gaze that much more intense. The lines also draw his hair in a shock outwards all around his face, supplementing this intensity with action not unlike an explosion. These combined effects also create a strong sense of unity in the piece through radial balance. Even though the circular pieces are all seemingly random and diverse, they combine to create a coherent image and message. This could be interpreted as a comment on the complex nature of unity itself. Appearances are deceiving -- elements do not have to be clones to be coherent together. This effect is all the more impressive, as close inspection of the rug can feel quite chaotic and overwhelming. The man's gaze is piercing, almost daring the viewer to criticize his multitude of components. 

            The rug is hung frameless, complementing its free, tactile nature, in a large circular room with a lot of direct sunlight. The piece is textured and appears soft and cozy, contrasting with the intense image it portrays. The lighting adds warmth to the piece, and the large amount of open space in the room allows viewers to slowly approach the rug from afar in order to get the full effect of drawing towards its illusion. It is also very large, making it, in a sense, the focus of the entire room. It easily draws my attention whenever I enter the building.

-Tursman