My big art inspiration - Chuck Close on Johannes Vermeer

As part of our Frieze art fair 2012 coverage, leading artists, from Tacita Dean to Rachel Whiteread, decode the masterpiece that most inspires them. We begin with Chuck Close.

Ever since I was a student, my favourite artist has been Johannes Vermeer. I understand, or can intuit, how every painting ever made, from the Lascaux caves to today’s most cutting-edge work, was painted. Information about a piece’s creation – touch, hand, process, technique – is embedded in the paint, like a Hansel and Gretel trail.

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