Onelio Marrero

The Plaza before the Snowfall, Oil Painting

2020

Artist Comments
Artist Yangzi Xu offers an inviting scene on a rainy afternoon at the downtown market in Paris, France. Warm lights bring the streets aglow with vibrant colors as they shine through lights from establishments and a huge red awning. People walk on wet pavement under a stretched reflection of the muted sky. Structures recede into the distance that wanders deeper into the city.

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: France, market, travel, city, street light, Paris, Europe, cityscape, rain, rain rainy, mood, market, reflection, evening, dusk, buildings, road, pedestrians, umbrella, architecture, impressionism, travel, architecture, impressionism, travel, oil painting, brown

Rainy Day, Paris Market...

Artist Comments
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Artist Comments
Artist Onelio Marrero shares about his recent visit to Boston. While there, he and his wife took in the many cultural and historic sights. One of the places they spent some time was at the Historic Boston Library where Onelio examined the Sargent murals. The series of murals known as "Triumph of Religion", depict Judeo-Christian themes. "I painted myself as the figure in the room with the blank panel that Sargent never completed. It was to be a scene depicting 'The Sermon on...

Artist Comments
Artist Yangzi Xu depicts a radiant evening view of the city on State Street in downtown Chicago. Warm lights flicker and glow amidst a cool palette of blue and ...

Artist Comments
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Artist Comments
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