When the Streets Glow (2026) Original Oil Painting by Zhanna Kondratenko

Rain changes the city. Hard edges soften, traffic lights stretch across the wet pavement, and familiar streets begin to glow with unexpected color.
One of the challenges I set myself while painting this work was to avoid using pure black. Every area that appears black is actually built from mixtures of deep blues, violets, greens, reds and other colors. This keeps the shadows rich and alive and allows even the darkest parts of the cityscape to remain connected to the surrounding light.
The painting combines a detailed urban scene with expressive color and reflections, focusing less on a specific location and more on the atmosphere of city life after rain.
I wanted to capture that brief moment when a rainy urban scene feels almost transformed. Cars move slowly through the street, pedestrians cross under umbrellas, and reflections gather beneath them in red, orange, violet, teal and blue. The city remains busy, yet the rain creates a strange sense of calm — as if everything has slowed just enough to be noticed.

• Original oil painting on canvas
• Size: 50 × 50 cm
• The sides are painted white for a clean, finished presentation
• Finished with satin varnish for protection and a soft, even sheen
• Signed on the front and back
• Certificate of Authenticity included
• Delivered stretched and ready to hang
• Carefully packed for safe shipping
• The layered color mixtures, wet-street reflections and subtle shifts within the darker areas are especially noticeable when viewed in person.

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Materials used:

oil on canvas

Details:

• Oil painting on Canvas
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 50 x 50 x 2cm (unframed) / 50 x 50cm (actual image size)
• Ready to hang
• Signed certificate of authenticity
• Style: Expressive and gestural
• Subject: Architecture and cityscapes