Yangzi Xu

Ceaseless Rain, Oil Painting

2020

Artist Comments
A cool, rainy evening in downtown Chicago, punctuated by the warm glow of headlights and taillights reflecting off of the wet pavement. "This painting captures the mood and nostalgia of the day," says artist Yangzi Xu. "The busy street and tall buildings were dark and blurry in the rain, which set the perfect stage for the reflections of car lights to do wonders."

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: rain, city, Chicago, street, road, cars, storm, Illinois, cityscape, evening, dusk, lights, reflections, buildings, architecture, wet, expressionism, architecture, expressionism, representational, oil painting, purple

Ceaseless Rain
Yangzi Xu
Oil painting on stretched canvas
Finished black edges
Ready to hang
One-of-a-kind
Signed on front
2020
12 in. h x 12 in. w x 1.5 in. d
1 lbs. 10 oz.