Statements
by Rassouli about his goddesses
- I believe it was the
male dominance that must have
inspired the scientists to call
the beginnings of our universe Big Bang, for in
actuality, the creation is more of
a 'Great Birth.'
- There are usually two women
portrayed in my paintings; the
woman that is seen and the one who
is unseen. My masculine side leans
toward painting the outer
attraction, while my feminine side
reflects more of the mystery,
which is the inner
attraction.
- I have no
interest in painting only the
outer beauty of women like many
images that have been painted over
time. I want to open the spiritual
vision of my viewers to go beyond
the surface beauty into the
inspiration that moved me to
create the paintings.
- What is reflected in
my art is something I see and
sense in women. The images I paint
are not just my creations, but
they come to life from a light
that shines through me,
illuminating the mystery of the
soul coming into form through my
hands.
- When I am painting, the canvas becomes my
guide. It reveals to me where it
wants to be touched and caressed,
and I surrender to it using my
brush, my fingers, and my hands to
create the colors, the feelings,
and the sensual effects of the
images. I am not creating the
women I paint, but it is as if I
am following the desire to give
pleasure and reflect the beauty I
see in women.
- The women in my
paintings express the breath and
essence of womanhood as I perceive
and experience it in women I know.
Many tell me that they recognize
something of themselves in my
female figures. I have come to
feel that what is reflected on my
canvas is the feminine nature of
the soul that exists in both men
and women.
- For me, as an artist
and as a man, the women in my
paintings are given their freedom
through the love with which I
paint them. I feel a longing to
free them from the archaic and
oppressive way women have been
seen in the past.
- As a man from the
Middle East, I grew up in a
culture that was most oppressive
to women. Since many of them were
veiled, I began to imagine and
connect with their inner beauty.
This ultimately became a guide in
both my life and my art. It was
the mystery of what was unseen
that attracted me, and I began to
express something deeper than the
outer appearance. I was venturing
into an unknown, and it guided me
on an inward journey that stirred
my heart and awakened my soul. I
began to paint the revelations of
the heart. I was reaching to paint
the mysterious glow of a radiant
energy that became a metaphor for
love, for truth, for light, and
for life itself. It is a vision
that connects me with the longings
of those who view and respond to
my art.
- My art invites the
viewers of my paintings to come on
a journey with me, seeing through
my eyes, feeling through my heart,
and experiencing the light and
revelations of my soul. When that
happens, it can awaken the viewers
to discover the gift of seeing
through the eyes of their own
hearts and souls in new ways.
Sharing the journey allows the
artist and the viewer to recognize
their oneness through the energy
of an artistic vision of
love.
- Both feminine and
masculine powers are creative, but
it is the feminine power that
experiences the full circle of
creating, nurturing, and
transforming as they participate
in the creative process. That
power, which we call the muse and
the Sufis call Khedr, knows and
recognizes the guiding light and
surrenders to it. As people of the
21st century, we need to allow the
feminine voice and heart to guide
us in making our transformation into
becoming the residents of a UNITED
WORLD.
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