Yangzi Xu

Fire and Rain, Oil Painting

2021

Artist Comments
A compelling depiction of the Chicago skyline during nightfall under pink and blue lenses. Artist Yangzi Xu blends abstract and realism using a vibrant palette to form an infringing pattern. She explores the drama with the city's flickering lights in contrast to the evening shadows.

About the Artist
Artist Yangzi Xu captures a nostalgia for Chicago and its dramatic seasonal changes in her expressionist cityscapes. Having a full-time job and being a wife and mother, Yangzi makes a habit of painting everyday to keep her passion exciting and fresh. She keeps a queue of ideas and reference photos that she takes throughout the year. She looks through her references, tweaks and adds elements to them. Once inspiration strikes, Yangzi draws several sketches and begins to work with oils on canvas on multiple pieces at once - to keep each painting spontaneous and new. "I try to capture the paradox of life in the city, where one can be in a crowd and yet feel alone," Yangzi says. "My main intent is not to capture the physical reality of a scene, but to express my own moods and feelings to my audience." In her free time, Yangzi enjoys reading, with her current favorite genres being biographies and memoirs. Yangzi is an alumnus of DePaul University in Chicago.

Words that describe this painting: Chicago, riverwalk, evening, city, urban, cityscape, skyline, buildings, urbanscape, downtown, semi-abstract, architecture, building, bridge, expressionism, travel, architecture, travel, oil painting, pink

Fire and Rain
Yangzi Xu
Oil painting on stretched canvas
Finished black edges
Ready to hang
One-of-a-kind
Signed on front
2021
16 in. h x 16 in. w x 1.5 in. d
2 lbs. 4 oz.