Lu Cong, American artist

Born in Shanghai, in 1978, Lu Cong immigrated to the US at the age of 11. He graduated from the University of Iowa with degrees in Biology and Art in 2000, but chose to pursue portrait art over medicine. The artist was recognized by a number of art publications as a notable emerging artist between 2003 and 2007 and since then he has developed a distinctive look that many has regarded as an original approach to figurative realism. (lucong.com)