Chuck Close was an American painter who rose to fame as a photorealist with his large-scale, intricate portraits of the human face. He was known for his extraordinary artistic abilities and inventive techniques which made him one of the most innovative artists of the contemporary times. A major figure of the painting movement of Photorealism which emerged during the 1970s, he is credited to have made the genre of photorealism an artistic medium in its own right. By effortlessly blurring the distinction between photography and painting, he has created several magnificent works of art which are much sought after by museums and collectors. Born as the son of artistically inclined parents, he too developed an early interest in the arts. He suffered from severe dyslexia as a child and sought solace in art and soon realized that he was blessed with a high degree of creativity and artistic abilities. He studied at Academy of Fine Arts Vienna before embarking on his career and eventually turned his attention towards photorealism. Throughout his life he was plagued by ill health and he suffered from several medical conditions. However, his illnesses never thwarted his ambitions as a painter.