Yangzi Xu

Concrete Forest, Oil Painting

2020

Artist Comments
A brisk winter day in the Chicago Loop area. Cool gray clouds hang low in the sky and reflect off of the buildings and street. "Cities are charming places even though they can be cold and indifferent sometimes," says artist Yangzi Xu. "This painting depicts a bleak day when you just want to walk fast on the streets, and the thought that you may not belong here might flash through your mind - just for a fleeting second though."

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, city, winter, cityscape, urban, cold, street, Illinois, sidewalk, buildings, architecture, architecture, impressionism, representational, oil painting, grey

Concrete Forest
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.