THE JOURNEY OF TOSCANE
Toscane Rouhi, known as TOSCANE, is a French artist born on April 3, 1999, in Paris, to an Iranian father and a French mother. Her journey is marked by international life experiences, having lived in Morocco, the Netherlands, Suriname, and Japan before settling back in the French capital. This cultural diversity nurtures her open-mindedness and her identity as a global citizen. TOSCANE speaks several languages – French, English, Japanese, and Egyptian – a linguistic richness that reflects her ability to embrace various cultural perspectives.
From the age of two, TOSCANE discovered art and developed a passion for painting.
Her parents enrolled her in acrylic and watercolor classes, and paintbrushes became her constant companions, accompanying her from school to her law studies. In her notebooks, she combined words and illustrations, revealing a creative spirit. As a child, she dreamed of becoming a fashion designer, and her sketchbooks were filled with young women in bold and colorful outfits, often surrounded by animals, particularly a horse. The latter often represents the horse that she competed with in national tournaments, a testament to her passion for horseback riding.
Her love for art deepened through visits to museums with her grandparents, who introduced her to art history.
Fascinated by the Fauvist paintings, TOSCANE was captivated by the vibrancy of the colors, which fueled her dreams. In 2020, as Covid-19 disrupted the world, she faced a personal challenge: her first battle with cancer at the age of 21. Weak and bedridden, she spent her days painting, transforming the hospital’s white walls into an explosion of colors, a symbol of resilience and rediscovered joy.
Once recovered, TOSCANE traveled to Japan, immersing herself in the study of traditional techniques under the guidance of Japanese masters, which profoundly enriched her work. In 2023, she decided to dedicate herself fully to art, leaving behind her legal career to pursue her passion. Her artistic universe, now well-defined, is expressed through Mona, her symbolic alter ego, and a white animal representing protection and healing. The Japanese characters on Mona's coat became mantras, reflecting TOSCANE’s quest for meaning and survival.
In 2024, another challenge emerged with a melanoma diagnosis, but art remained an essential strength for her – a refuge and a pillar of resilience.
TOSCANE in 10 questions
Interview
Your artistic universe in three words?
Elegance, minimalism and Art Deco influences.
Your favourites artists
Nicolas de Staël for his palette, René Gruau for his incandescent women, Hiroshige and Hokusai for their compositions.
Why Japan?
For its poetry
Your primary source of inspiration?
My travels, without hesitation!
An unexpected source of inspiration?
Rimbaud's poems.
What do you listen to while painting?
I like being carried away by music or the stories of Juliette Gréco or Sylvain Tesson.
Your signature colour?
Orange maybe? I couldn't say.
A ritual before painting?
Making myself a tea... I must say I am eternally dehydrated.
The role of art in your sense?
To convey beyond all borders. To express the unspeakable, to make the impossible possible.
An your art?