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"Be ready to be surprised by the abstract art of Hooshang Khorasani. They are vibrant, with beautiful textures and colors. He sent two sets of paintings. One set I have hung together to see how they interact next to each other, and the other set I have hung separately. It is always surprising to me how these paintings still interact with one another even though they are separated. The brilliant colors reach out to each other and to the observer, completing a circle of interaction."
- Excerpt from "Contemporary Artists at Andrews Art Museum," The Andrews (N.C.) Journal, May 14, 2009
"Standouts within the collection of domesticated Four-Footed creatures are the equestrian works of Hooshang Khorasani of Ruston, Louisiana. These magnificent large-scale acrylics scream 'undomesticated' as they roar, head-on across the canvas. His choice of color and kinetic, yet exacting brush strokes exacerbate the motion study. These works are so strong that at a glance one can hear the panting breath and the pounding hoofs of these exotic creatures."
- Excerpt from "Gallery Talk: Conversations with Lee Malerich" in a description of The Ormond (Fla.) Memorial Art Museum’s exhibition of "Four-Footed," 2006
"'Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvelous,' Bill Moyers has said. (Hooshang's recent donation to the Attleboro Arts Museum's annual auction) uses his heightened imagination and wild swings of color and technique to pierce the mysteries of the universe. (It) is a large, fluid and sensuous abstract destined to energize your home or office ...."
- Excerpt from a description of Hooshang's work by the Attleboro (Mass.) Arts Museum, November 2008
"At the gallery’s entrance, visitors were greeted by Hooshang Khorasani’s explosive use of color and broad, painterly strokes to capture in Equine Exuberance No. 3 the subject’s thunderous charge."
- From the Somerset Art Association's Art Line publication in connection with "The Art of the Horse" national juried exhibit, Bedminster, N.J., Winter/Spring 2009
"Windows, walls and doors certainly don’t stand between Hooshang and his art. The Ruston painter … is fascinated with the roiling waters of nature – 'the mysteries,' he says, 'of the universe.' The intensity he brings to these examinations is something to behold."
- Excerpt from a column; "Ruston artist scratches surface to reveal his magic," printed in The (Monroe, La.) News-Star, Sept. 1, 1999; written by Nick Deriso, Entertainment Editor
"… Louisiana painter Hooshang bases his acrylic ‘Short Bull’ on a famous photo of a proud warrior but adds modern strength to the face by means of bold, expressionist brush strokes and evocative purples, blues and grays …."
- Excerpt from a review of "Night Walker ’98," an exhibit at the Fort Collins (CO) Museum; "Fort Collins art show revisits lost cultures," printed in The Denver Post, Sept. 15, 1998; written by Jeff Bradley, Post Critic-at Large
"Life is all about perspectives; what you see is how you choose to look at it. With Hooshang Khorasani’s art, there’s a twist: The more you look, the more you’ll see. Using wash-like translucent colors, Hooshang reveals his subject layer by layer, always stopping short of full disclosure to keep you intrigued.
"Notice how his bouquets are lush and lovely, each flower an exuberant gesture. His women are mysterious femme fatales with lithe arms and faces veiled in shadows. Both are rendered in rich, earthy tones against cool backgrounds, creating context without distraction. These fluid, sensuous works will create a stunning centerpiece in any room … and you’ll discover that each time you look at them, you’ll find something new."
- Commentary from Visualize, The Premier Source for Accessible and Affordable Art, San Francisco, CA, 2000
Review by Art Columnist JoAnne Harris, printed in The (Shreveport, La.) Times, Aug. 24, 1999
"'Chiseling on Canvas,' a collection of 13 works by the artist Hooshang, provides a good look at a somewhat unorthodox approach to painting. The show is on view at the University Center Art Gallery at LSUS.
"In spite of the title, the most obvious technique employed in these works is allowing the acrylic paint to drip or run down the canvas in long streaks. Ironically, less than an hour before seeing these works, we had listened to another artist … describe the local bus painting project in which the paint had similarly slipped and run down the side of the bus, necessitating a cleanup and fresh start.
"The moral, of course, is that one artist’s unintended consequence may be another’s creative inspiration. There are times when one must carefully stay within the lines in the coloring book and other times when the crayons must be applied in great splotches of color ….
"Hooshang’s works … are far from abstract. Though not quite traditional, we can easily recognize the three still lifes and single landscape he depicts. The remaining pieces comprise a series of figure studies, all featuring a slender young woman dressed in a sleeveless black or blue dress and a black hat that partially obscures her face – think Audrey Hepburn in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s.’
"The variety Hooshang achieves with this single subject is most impressive. He shows his subject with arms folded, with hands on her face, with hands on hips, with head resting on knees, with white gloves on hands, in profile and in shadow and twice backlit by neon signs. We may occasionally glimpse a shadowy smile, but we never see the eyes.
"The palette is a dark one with black or gray prevailing, even in flesh tones. Red touches are darkened. Shadows and highlights are indicated by tones of dark green or purple. Details, particularly in the still lifes, will be outlined in a slightly lighter shade of blue.
"Everywhere the colors run in dark streaks to the bottom of the canvas. Sometimes, the canvas is turned, producing more streaks at a different angle. The artist states: 'Sometimes I remove parts of the image and paint over it. I "chisel" on canvas with my brushes, my cloths and my fingers until my sculpture is shaped.'
"For this viewer, the end result is less sculptural than it is veiled. The streaks and runs seem to form a kind of grid or screen through which we discern a figure, but not distinctly. There always is a mystery, a holding back or shrinking from the bright lights of discovery. Although there is nothing especially sinister here, we sense an aura of romance and intrigue surrounding these shadowy ladies ….
"This is one of those rare shows with appeal to art lovers with preferences ranging across the entire spectrum from traditional to avant-garde."
A sampling of other media coverage:
"Bold contemporary artist will be featured at Taylor's," The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, AR, Sept. 1, 2003
“The Ruston art scene,” Louisiana Life magazine, Autumn 2003
"Artist follows dream," The News-Star, Monroe, LA, Oct. 6, 2003
"Hooshang brings new prints to market," The Ruston (LA) Daily Leader, June 23, 2002
"Hooshang: Magic man's work in three nationwide exhibits," The Ruston (LA) Daily Leader, Aug. 29, 1999
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