By: Leo Boshardy
Locations across DuPage County have been rendered in lifelike ukiyo-e style by Richard Lo in his new book, “Waves of DuPage: Beautiful Cities Public Art Project.”
The book highlights a series of public art displays commissioned around the county to celebrate “Hokusai and Ukiyo-e: The Floating World” and the Chiossone art collection housed this summer through Sept. 21 at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art in College of DuPage’s McAninch Arts Center.
“The impact of public art is immense,” Lo said. “It brings people together and I’ve been touched by how well I'm received.”
"Waves of DuPage," available for purchase in the MAC gift shop, features artwork of iconic DuPage County locations rendered in ukiyo-e style. These include the Naperville Riverwalk, the Boathouse in Glen Ellyn, Maple Street Chapel in Lombard, DuPage County Historical Museum in Wheaton and West Chicago Community High School.
“The illustrations had to be quiet and unimaginably beautiful. Ukiyo-e is all about quiet,” he said.
Lo is an illustrator and children's author from Chicago’s Chinatown who specializes in visual and graphic designs. He was recognized by the DuPage County Board for his contribution to the arts, while his book “Father Chinese Opera” received the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature. Lo’s murals can be seen at locations across Chicago and include images that celebrate the beauty and tradition behind Chinese culture.
The Beautiful Cities public art project was commissioned by the MAC. Wall prints of the murals are on display as part of the Hokusai exhibition along with drafts of Lo’s work while conceptualizing the locations in ukiyo-e style.
Lo completed 37 illustrations in under 90 days for the project.
“I’m not inspired by the outside. I’m inspired by the inside,” he said. “When you put yourself in that atmosphere, only good comes out of it.”
Learn more about Hokusai & Ukiyo-e at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art