A R T
As a Divine Power to Express the Beauty of Existence
By: Fraidoon Waraste, 22.07.2008
When Beauty wishes to manifest Itself, It chooses Art as the most suitable medium to do so. Even though there are various forms of Art – poetry, dance, painting, music or any other form of artistic expression – in essence all these forms are one.
In my view the true meaning of Art is to explore and discover the Beauty which lies hidden within ourselves, expressing it and sharing it with others. This process can start to unfold itself when we explore the realm of true self-knowledge and inner realization, or, in other words, become aware of our potential creative power. And if we can find and enter the state in which we discover these abilities and talents, we will be able to create things of Beauty.
In reality Art does not belong to a specific race, religion, country or culture. On the contrary, Art as a phenomenon cannot be confined within the boundaries of time and space. Art is a Divine gift which belongs to all of us, especially since we can all look at it with a keen and loving eye.
I was born as someone who wanted, and still wants, to live and grow with Art, learn it, enjoy and share it with others, because Art gives strength, power and meaning to my life. The vitality of life depends on Art, and the process of making life grow and bloom also is a miraculous Art. When I am engrossed in my work with Art, I feel very close to my essence. The creative process makes me see in a sharp and distinct way, laying bare a special kind of inner artistic power and natural inner skills.
It gives tremendous meaning and vitality to my life, and if I am able to produce a piece of Art that serves others, it will add extra power to it. When a piece of Art, e.g. a poem, is entirely based on a pure intention, an innocent notion or a beautiful sentiment, it will affect us with more power, pleasure and energy.
A true artist does not attach value to name, fame or success, praise and acclaim from others, because the process of creation is his sole aim and reward. Creativity is nothing but flying beyond all forms of imitation and finding a way to discovering one’s True Self, which is the beginning of Divine Creation.
About my work
My work involves two main different forms of Art:
Painting and Calligraphy
- Painting
My paintings basically are a mixture of realistic, expressionistic, impressionistic and abstract styles.
The central theme in these paintings is Nature, which is revealed through expressive and lively colours. These particular colours are intended to stimulate and activate the human mind, and to bring about joy and excitement. Their second purpose is to inspire man’s heart to get closer to the splendour and glory of Nature. Apart from paintings of Nature you will also find some portraits and figures among my works.
- Calligraphy
This part of my work truly is the arena where western painting and oriental calligraphy meet each other. I strive to present a harmonious combination of these two styles.
Calligraphy is in fact a sacred art because it is closely linked to Divine Revelation. This sacred quality is not only to be found in Persian-Arabic calligraphy, but also in many other schools of calligraphy, such as Zen calligraphy.
The dance of letters and phrases in each work symbolizes an ecstatic movement of all elements of the universe towards Divine Threshold. It is a motionless dance with a profound mystical message.
All texts of my calligraphy pieces come from sacred and spiritual books and writings, and the major theme of these works is LOVE. And as you will see I have practised different styles of Persian-Arabic calligraphy like: nasta‘liq, naskh, tholth, shekaste, diwani etc. In order to enrich my work I have also incorporated some elements from other artistic traditions, such as Chinese and Latin patterns.
The Functions of Expressive Colours
And the Revolutionary Beauty of Nature
Welcome to the Garden of Glorious Colours
The power of light makes colours emerge in the most amazing ways.
In many cultures and religions each colour symbolizes an aspect of life, and certain colours may have several symbolic meanings. According to colour psychology the effect of a colour on our soul depends on the degree of its brightness and darkness. Some colours can stimulate our eyes as a red pepper which irritates our tongue.
When we focus on a colourful object for longer than 10 seconds, a red apple for instance, it will evoke a kind of vibration in our mind, which can induce a quite different state of mental functioning. Colours will arouse man’s deepest sentiments in an artistic way. It may be either delight or a slight nervousness.
This psychological effect on our brain is one of the most powerful and remarkable functions of colours in my painting. For example: the colours blue and green have a calming effect, that is why the colour blue is associated with heaven, while an wide variety of shades of red and orange can cause a kind of turbulent and restlessness in the mind.
In my paintings the warm and cold colours harmonize together as expressive colours. Each colour stands for an aspect of life, like vitality, inner power, inner growth and the flow of life energy. Besides these, the colours that symbolize the seven chakras or human inner energy centres are also present in my paintings. Since modern man has become less connected to Nature, he is regularly confronted with stress and frustration of all kinds.
One of the most effective means to help man to return to his Divine Nature is to become reconnected with Nature and its infinite tremendous beauties. The high vibrations of Nature and its mesmerizing colours reduce our mental tensions, stress and worries and make provision for more relaxation and peace of mind for us.
We sometimes hardly have any access to Nature because of our modern busy daily life, but a painting of Nature, e.g. a landscape with its lively colours in our dining room, will take our mental tiredness away and will fill our mind with joy and vitality and our mind and body will fully be in harmony.
My Inspiration
The creating process of a piece of Art basically requires three fundamentals:
Inspiration, meditative contemplation and action.
Inspiration is the mother of all kinds of Art and the whole creating process of Art depends on inspiration. A strong inspiration undoubtedly helps breeding a good work of Art.
In the course of this process I have drawn inspiration in the first place from Life, certain spiritual masters, people, friends, books and the splendour of Nature and Animals.
The first people who encouraged me to pursue an artistic career were my father, my mother and my aunt.
There are great spiritual masters, philosophers and artists whose presence is still a shining light on my life’s path.
Workshops, Courses and Private lessons
Besides exhibitions, we regularly organize Mindful Persian, Arabic, Zen and West European calligraphy and painting workshops and courses for groups, schools, organizations, and especially for children and young people.
For most of the participants these workshops are not only an artistic activity but a meditative experience which helps them to explore another dimension of their personality.
Our private lessons also provide the students with practical and useful lessons and work materials.
For further information contact:
Fraidoon Warasta
www.fraidoon.com
0031 (0) 6 43211761