Olivet School of Art and Design (OSAD) Associate Dean Zimou Tan was recently selected as one of the 40 best portrait painters in the published book "40 Portrait Masters."

Published by the editorial staff of The Art of Watercolour magazine, the book gave insight into the paintings of 40 contemporary great masters of portrait painting.

Being a master in fine arts and traditional illustration, professor Tan graduated from the Academy of Art College in San Francisco in 2001. The Chinese government named him as the "Master Artist" in 2007, and in 2009 he was selected as one of the "50 Artists who had impacted China the most." Later in 2015, he won Grand Prize in the International Artist Magazine portrait and figure painting challenge.

According to Tan, a portrait is a meeting of two sensibilities. He catures people's character by looking at them and establishes an emotional connection to create a perfect portrait. He creates rich tone using charcoal, making the portrait look same when viewed from any angle. He experiments on different surfaces and materials as part of his artistic expression.

"We are very proud of Professor Zimou Tan. He has made such a distinguished reputation and set the bar for our students at the Olivet School of Art and Design. We are blessed to learn from this great master," said Dr. Rodem Hwang, OSAD program director.