RAOUF MEFTAH 

THE  ART 

Of DRAWING

 LOVE 

LEILA a very charming young girl and very modest and preserve, (in a distant time), attracted by the marvelous village’s prince Wassim, very seductive, she tries to get up and make him sign in silence so as to attract his attention and he is interested in her every time or she passes in the market place ‘but WASSIM is too attached to his harem and too busy.

Wassim knew that the woman from the market LEILA was promised to another young prince from a neighboring village in order to establish a pact of peace between the two villages, this news upset WASSIM and he realizes too late that he is madly in love with this woman, and that her harem does not satisfy his grief, and that his castle without her is empty, he can not disclose his love to the public to preserve peace but also he can not sacrifice his love for the other prince, he turns around him and consumes himself between the heart and the conscience, (hence the calligraphy of the word passionate love is read from all sides).

Sitting in the shade of the wall of the desert garden city, on the shining sand, his eyes fixed on the ocean, his thoughts cross the time, when suddenly a soft hand caresses his abandoned beard, the hand of a little girl with gold hair, color of the sun, blue eyes of the mother of his passion and of his regret for his pride… He looks at this angel, smiles and pushes a soothing laugh, faithful to his innocence, he smiles and he holds out his hand, when suddenly a hand grabbed the girl and squeezed her towards her, a woman covered in face and who left her eyes wide open, she looks at him in her great surprise, time has stood still, thoughts of their past fly by at high speed as the sand carried by the wind, and the dialogue begins between them without words with their powerful gaze full of words, each one speaks without listening, each one expresses, shouts, as if we have poured all the words of all the books and novels without stopping on the sand, when they finished laughing, she read in his face « I LOVE YOU », this gaze resonates in her being like a tremor of sand under her feet, Leila betrays with these sky eyes which pour tears like embers on her cheeks , and who arrives at the cheek of this girl who watches their stories in silence.

She carried the pretty girl with the eyes and hair of her mother Leila and goes far into the city, he shouts to her «when we see you again», she answers him «when you have the heart of the girl» what name can I call the heart of the girl "he replies," it is the warmth, and the happiness that guides you in the dark, I am Leila and the night for hearts is affection and attachment (wedad), you are Wassim and the light illuminates the heart of the night, and for the eyes eternal stories ”and he cried NOURAH.

Raouf Meftah

RAOUF MEFTAH GIVES COLOURS AND MEANINGS TO HIS TRANSCENDENTAL JOURNEY

Three moments and three paintings for one magical story :
Love ; Passionate Love ; Abecedaire.
When Prince Wassim saw the humble, beautiful, young girl Leila, he understood that she is his Faith, Destiny and the final station of his passionate LIFE. Surrounded by an entire harem of charming Women, applauded by a huge entourage, middle of the crowded Souk, here, two extremely different persons, Wassim and Leila will encounter each other just by a look in the eyes, remaining charmed, amazed, forever in love, passionately and desperately searching for approach.
Encountering Love. Passionately in love and lost in Perdition. Abecedaire or the long path between Desire and Fulfillment .From Darkness to the Light.
WASSIM. LEILA. NOURAH.

LOVE
To conquest the so much shy but so much strong Leila, the powerful Wassim must walk the complicated road of transition leaving aside his fortune, pride, arrogance, luxurious, lavish life style as Royal womanizer. Highly admired for his power, wealth and beauty, Wassim is falling for the delicate girl who knows how to make him discover his own emotions and sensibility : This is the story of the first painting called simply LOVE.

PASSIONATE LOVE

When Wassim is losing Leila who is already engaged to be married, his world failed apart. He becomes a traveller, a ghost of the desert, living between dunes, sand, oasis, thinking of nothing else but Leila. Wassim suffers and subconsciously he is purifying his own soul and heart. He knows that he must follow his Destiny and he knows that all his dreams, nightmares, sufferance will end up by one magical moment when founding Leila :
This is the story of the second painting entitled PASSIONATE LOVE.

The Eye And Abecedaire

ABECEDAIRE , the third and last part of the story speaks in a very dramatic and colourful style, so much specific to Raouf Meftah' s visions, about the reunion of the great Prince Wassim with his soulmate Leila. This time, the humble man, looking poor and broken, spirituality and physically transformed meets the once simple young girl crowned by her splendid beauty, now a mother keeping in her arms a sweet little girl with blue eyes and hair of gold, looking directly in the stranger's eyes. Wassim, Leila and the little girl, united unexpectedly over the years, when questions and answers are the only path to Life and Love. Wassim is ready for all sacrifices only to be with the love of his life. Desperately bagging , he is asking her, when he will finally be with her . Leila's answer is the key of all Mystery : when you will have the heart of the girl. And how should I call the heart of the girl ? Wassim is asking her with broken voice... Her name is NOURAH, she responds going far away.

The little, golden girl with blue eyes is their Destiny. The Abecedaire of their long journey from the Darkness to the LIGHT.
In the artistic trilogy painted by Raouf Meftah we can discover not only the Love, Passion, Perdition but the great message of the beautiful Arab calligraphy similar to an old Arab song of the desert or to the well-known nabati Poetry .

Raouf Meftah is a Master of suggestions, he creates his own philosophy and mythology with a marvelous talent as painter , story teller , poet. He is one of the most important calligraphers of our times, dedicated to the Islamic Art and spreading a unique artistic language, arabesques and motifs , guiding us in a tumultuous, vibrant Ocean of colours and Poetry.
His paintings are exploring different territories of artistic spirituality. His colourful expressivity mirrored in his paintings are telling not only stories but an entire history , like a book in thousand of pages. His personages are miraculously speaking about emotions, transformations, discovery, self discovery and always about Faith .
Raouf Meftah, award winning abstract painter and Arabic Calligraphy Maestro has created an influential style in art and culture. His own credo : ART IS LOVE and nothing else matters.
His paintings are metaphorical showing us the unique portal to Eternity : BEAUTY .

Monica Mergiu