Editing Chuck Close (section)

==="The Event"===
On December 7, 1988, Close felt a strange pain in his chest. That day he was at a ceremony honoring local artists in New York City and was waiting to be called to the podium to present an award. Close delivered his speech and then made his way across the street to [[Beth Israel Medical Center]] where he had a seizure which left him paralyzed from the neck down. The cause was diagnosed as a spinal artery collapse.<ref>O'Hagan, Sean [https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2005/oct/09/art Head Master] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204075534/https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2005/oct/09/art |date=December 4, 2016 }}, The Observer, October 9, 2005</ref> He had also experienced neuromuscular problems as a child.<ref>Christian Viveros-Faune (July 18, 2012), [http://www.villagevoice.com/2012-07-18/art/a-visit-with-art-world-hero-chuck-close/ A Visit With Art-World Hero Chuck Close] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120901100912/http://www.villagevoice.com/2012-07-18/art/a-visit-with-art-world-hero-chuck-close/ |date=September 1, 2012 }} ''[[Village Voice]]''.</ref> Close called that day "The Event". For months, Close was in rehab strengthening his muscles with physical therapy; he soon had slight movement in his arms and could walk, yet only for a few steps. He relied on a wheelchair thereafter. Close spoke candidly about the effect disability had on his life and work in the book ''[[Chronicles of Courage: Very Special Artists]]'' written by [[Jean Kennedy Smith]] and [[George Plimpton]] and published by [[Random House]].<ref name="JKS book">[http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/The-Kennedy-Family/Jean-Kennedy-Smith.aspx Chronicles of Courage: Very Special Artists] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110409165454/http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/The-Kennedy-Family/Jean-Kennedy-Smith.aspx |date=April 9, 2011 }}.</ref>

However, Close continued to paint with a brush strapped onto his wrist, creating large portraits in low-resolution grid squares created by an assistant.  Viewed from afar, these squares appear as a single, unified image which attempt photo-reality, albeit in [[pixelated]] form. Although the paralysis restricted his ability to paint as meticulously as before, Close had, in a sense, placed artificial restrictions upon his hyperrealist approach well before the injury. That is, he adopted materials and techniques that did not lend themselves well to achieving a photorealistic effect. Small bits of irregular paper or inked fingerprints were used as media to achieve astoundingly realistic and interesting results. Close proved able to create his desired effects even with the most difficult of materials to control. Close made a practice, during his final years, of portraying artists who are similarly invested in portraiture, like [[Cecily Brown]], [[Kiki Smith]], [[Cindy Sherman]], and [[Zhang Huan]].<ref>Martha Schwendener (September 27, 2013), [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/nyregion/a-review-of-chuck-close-recent-works-at-guild-hall-museum.html Works in Conversation With Photography] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019163944/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/29/nyregion/a-review-of-chuck-close-recent-works-at-guild-hall-museum.html |date=October 19, 2017 }} ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref>