Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Chuck Close, Scribble Book: Self Portrait, Steidl & Little Steidl, Gottingham, Germany, 2013

Slipcase for the two accordions and pamphlet about the printing process

A really interesting set of three publications from Chuck Close in which he uses the panoramic feature of the accordion to illustrate the process of making a print. Of this work he remarked, "The idea for my scribble self-portrait goes back to an exquisite corpse drawing I made for a show at the Drawing Center in 1993. I wanted to find a way to make a full-color image that was built out of pieces, or in stages, as a print would be made. So I scribbled in colored pencils one color at a time, layering the colors on top of each other, and made a little self-portrait head for the top part of this drawing. I did the process colors first: magenta, then cyan, then yellow and then I would see what else it needed. This is like most of what I do: it's a question of always getting it closer and closer. I sneak up on what I want." [volume 3]

The publishers statement for the trade edition summarizes well the particulars of this publishing project, "Scribble Book is a self-portrait that emerges step-by-step out of the printing process, one plate and one color at a time. The viewer follows a series of nine individual plate proofs (volume 1) along with a corresponding series of nine progressive proofs (volume 2). By comparing the plate proofs against the progressives, the viewer may ascertain not only the effect as one color is added to create the final nine-color-portrait, but also the compositional decisions and careful modifications made by the artist at each stage of the project."

Both accordions: 8 single-sided pages, individually 13.25" x 11", and when extended 7' 4".








the final print is on the right

In volume three Chuck Close describes the printing process


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