San Francisco returns again and again in Marco Barberio’s paintings, often in the same light: late in the day, when the sun is low and the city turns gold. This is a short tour of the city as it appears in the paintings, place by place, with the details a collector usually wants to know.
Why San Francisco, and why at sunset
The paintings in this article sit in the Urban Landscapes group on the site, and the sunset ones also in Golden Hour. The low sun gives strong light and long shadows, and that suits Sampled Realism well. The method reduces a scene to flat areas of colour with sharp edges, so a city cut by bright light and deep shade is natural material for it.
Each painting starts from a photograph Marco takes himself. The colours are then reduced and adjusted, details can be removed or added, and the light itself can be shifted, from morning to sunset for example, before the image is painted by hand on canvas.
Lombard Street and the cable car
Lombard Street Sunset looks down the curves of Lombard Street towards the bay, with a cable car crossing the foreground. Rooftops and hills fall away into warm tones.
It is the largest painting in this article: acrylic on canvas, 100×120 cm, painted in 2026.
Victorian houses and the Transamerica Pyramid
San Francisco Sun sets the city’s historic Victorian houses in the foreground against the modern skyline behind them, with the silhouette of the Transamerica Pyramid. Old and new architecture share the same evening light.
Acrylic on canvas, 100×70 cm, 2026. The same image is also available as a limited edition giclee print.
The waterfront: masts, rigging and the skyline
In Pacific Queen of San Francisco the city is seen through a dense pattern of lines: masts, rigging and vertical structures that break up and frame the skyline. The Transamerica Pyramid stands at the centre of the composition.
Acrylic on canvas, 100×70 cm, 2025.
The Golden Gate and the Pacific
Pacific Gateway moves to the edge of the city: the Golden Gate Bridge above the waves of the Pacific, with rocks, foam and a wide California sky, seen from a warm shoreline in the foreground.
Acrylic on canvas, 100×70 cm, 2026.
Street level: Swensen’s
An earlier painting, Swensen’s San Francisco, stays at street level: the facade of the Swensen’s building with passers-by in front of it. Acrylic on canvas, 98×69 cm, 2023. It has been sold.
Choosing a San Francisco painting
- Size: Lombard Street Sunset is 100×120 cm; San Francisco Sun, Pacific Queen of San Francisco and Pacific Gateway are 100×70 cm.
- Original or print: each original is a single painted canvas. San Francisco Sun is also offered as a limited edition giclee print, a reproduction of the painting.
- Time and hand: a painting usually takes between six and ten days, and is painted by hand from the artist’s own photograph.
Frequently asked questions
Are these paintings made from the artist’s own photographs?
Yes. Each painting starts from a photograph Marco takes himself, which is then reworked before painting.
Is there a print of San Francisco Sun?
Yes, it is available as a limited edition giclee print.
What sizes are the paintings in this article?
Lombard Street Sunset is 100×120 cm; San Francisco Sun, Pacific Queen of San Francisco and Pacific Gateway are 100×70 cm; Swensen’s San Francisco, now sold, is 98×69 cm. All are acrylic on canvas.