Paris Street; Rainy Day
Oil
Sunday Afternoon
Oil
Distant View
Oil
Mountain Brook
Oil
Interior Light
Oil
Remembrance
OilArtist Statement
Elena Vasari is a Chicago-based painter working primarily in oil. Her work explores the interplay between natural light and architectural space — the way morning sun transforms a stone facade, or how fog softens the geometry of a bridge.
Vasari's influences span the Hudson River School's reverence for natural light, Vilhelm Hammershøi's quiet interiors, and the color theory of Josef Albers. Her studio practice moves between direct observation and memory, building layers of translucent oil glazes that capture the way light transforms over hours.
After earning her BFA in Fine Arts from the University of Michigan in 2018, she completed her MFA in Painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2020. She spent two years painting en plein air across southern Italy and the south of France before returning to establish her studio practice in Chicago.
Solo Exhibitions
- 2024 — "Atmospheres" — Vertex Gallery, Chicago
- 2023 — "Light Studies" — Galleria Moderna, Milan
- 2022 — "Urban Fog" — North Shore Art Center, Winnetka
Group Exhibitions
- 2024 — "New Chicago Painters" — Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago
- 2024 — "Landscape Now" — Riverside Arts Center
- 2023 — "Emerging Voices" — Zhou B Art Center, Chicago
- 2022 — "First Look" — Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Chicago
Awards & Residencies
- 2023 — Artist Residency — Ragdale Foundation, Lake Forest, IL
- 2022 — Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant
- 2021 — Luminarts Fellowship in Visual Arts
Education
- 2020 — MFA Painting — School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- 2018 — BFA Fine Arts — University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Skills & Media
Oil painting (alla prima, glazing, impasto), plein air, mixed media, watercolor, charcoal drawing, Adobe Creative Suite, portfolio design