American artist known for his photorealist portraits. Born in Monroe, Washington, Close had severe dyslexia and did poorly in school. He found solace in making art. In 1964, Close received MFA from Yale. Close was initially known for his portraits of the Super-Realism style, but then moved well beyond its initially hyper-attentive rendering to explore how methodical, system-driven portrait painting could suggest a wide range of artistic and philosophical concepts. Later in life, he suffered a severe stroke which left him majorly paralyzed. This, among other health conditons limited his ideal artistic processes, but insistead lead to a methodical and and inventive method of painting that he has become known for.