There was no way that Wauconda artist Hou Rong, a recent Chinese emigre, could include in a Lake County Museum show all the sculptures that he has created or restored. Aside from his own 70 pieces, Rong worked on the restoration of the world-famous terra cotta warriors and horses that were discovered in 1974 at the tomb of Emperor Qin Shihuang in Xian, China.
But he did the next best thing during a meet-the-artist reception at the museum recently. Rong impressed the more than 50 people present with a slide presentation of his works.
Rong’s pieces range from classic full-figured Chinese women to representational figures inspired by Chinese calligraphy. He also brought a video of himself working on the replica of a Qin terra cotta warrior that is included in the exhibit. The video will remain during the exhibit.
“This is a fine space, but to show everything I would have to be in a very large space,” Rong said.
The slide show, combined with the pieces on exhibit, whetted the appetite of several of the people who crowded around the artist after the slide presentation.
“His work is wonderful,” said Bill Moulder of Libertyville. “I wanted to see the exhibit anyway, so I decided I might as well come to the reception and meet the artist. Now that I’ve seen the slides, I’m so glad I did.”
And even though Susan McCormick of Barrington and her mom, Nancy Young of Lake Zurich, also would like to see more of Rong’s works, they were glad to have his exhibit close to home.
As they admired the “Kneeling Archer,” a Qin terra cotta replica, McCormick said, “Very rarely do you have an opportunity to attend an upscale cultural show like this up here. It’s nice to be able to attend the show of a world renowned artist and not have to go downtown.”
“Sculptures of Hou Rong” at the Lake County Museum, in the Lakewood Forest Preserve at Illinois Highway 176 and Fairfield Road near Wauconda, continues through March 31.
