Artist who painted his 'dream' woman met a lookalike at his exhibition. Then his dream came true
He painted his ideal woman to silence his mother’s questions about marriage. Months later, that woman walked into his exhibition.
When Iranian artist Ahad Saadi grew tired of his mother’s reminders to find a wife, he decided to paint the woman of his dreams instead. What started as a response to family pressure soon became a story about fate, love, and a painting that predicted his future. In 2008, Saadi, who created "Azarnegari" — a technique that involves burning fabrics with fire — set out to paint his ideal woman, reported DHA.
The portrait went on display in 2009 at the Huner-Mukaddes Gallery in Tabriz, Iran. Saadi described it as the last exhibition he organized in Iran before moving to Istanbul, but he didn't know fate had something else planned for him. Among the visitors that day was fellow artist Parisa Karamnezhad, who bore an uncanny resemblance to the woman in the portrait. Saadi said, "My sister was with me and was welcoming the guests when Parisa entered. She poked me and said, 'Ahad, the girl walking through the door looks like the painting you did.' Although I still did not see Parisa at that time, I was aware that my heart was beating incredibly. As soon as I saw Parisa’s eyes, I said, 'This is the reason.'"
Karamnezhad noticed the stares, too. "I saw a woman next to Ahad pointing at me. They were looking at me strangely, and I couldn’t understand why. Then I saw the painting and realized it looked like me," she said. She left the exhibition that day, but neither of them forgot the moment. Saadi later invited her to visit his workshop to take photos of the artworks, and she came with her mother. After that, they lost touch for nearly a year and a half, staying connected only through social media. Then, one night, something told Saadi to check his account. "I saw Parisa was online. We started talking, and I invited her to my exhibition in Istanbul," he said.
They met there again after eighteen months, and during their first dinner together, Saadi proposed. Parisa hesitated, asking for a month to think about it, but within a day, she called him back and said yes. While their story sounds almost mythical, research suggests that believing something is "meant to be" can sometimes make real relationships stronger. A 2024 study of 904 couples by researchers at the University of Vienna and Deakin University found that people with stronger destiny beliefs reported higher initial relationship satisfaction. The same study noted that pairing those beliefs with a sense of growth — the idea that love deepens through effort — helped couples stay happier over time.
Karamnezhad recalled, "I wanted to think about it for a month, but Ahad said, 'Parisa, you can only give me one answer, and that is yes anyway.' I felt it sincerely, and the next morning I called him and said I accepted. Thus began our beautiful life with Ahad. I am so happy. Ahad is the greatest gift given to me by God." Both mothers later gave their blessing. Karamnezhad said her mother "sighed in relief and was deeply touched by the story," and Saadi’s mother was "also pleased." Looking back, Saadi said everything still leads back to that day in Tabriz. "When I saw Karamnezhad in my exhibition for the first time, both the excitement and the flutter of my heart gave me a feeling I had never experienced before," he said. "It was an indescribable feeling."
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