BIG TALENT: Artist Augustin Kassi busy at work courtesy of Kassi

VOLUPTUOUS: A typical Kassi artwork courtesy of Kassi

The beauty of the African women doesn't always fit the mold of "Western beauty." Skinny, long-limbed women who grace catwalks, magazine covers and beauty pageants are the standard by which many women are judged.  Unfortunately, many Africans, especially the educated, have bought into this harmful misrepresentation of what true African beauty is. But one man is bucking this trend and he is using his paint brush to do it.

Ivorian artist Augustin Kassi's paintings of African women are bold, bright and brash. The true African woman, as he shows in his art, is well-endowed and very curvaceous, simultaneously representing the bountiful mother and the sultry temptress. Kassi also portrays another aspect of the African women's beauty, which is her round and chubby face - faces always beaming with a smile in spite of the harsh economic and weather conditions that exist in Africa.

"I don't only paint fat and plump African women. They [the women in my paintings] represent one of the most important [aspects] of African heritage, which I portray in my work," he told ChinAfrica. According to Kassi, big women make up more than half the African population and that is why he chose to depict them this way in his paintings. He said God appreciates variety, and that is why he created people in different shapes and sizes.

As he believes big women have been neglected, Kassi said he is determined to bring them into the spotlight, which he does through a foundation he established called Foundation Art Monde. The aims of the foundation, funded by the artist, are to fight poverty and protect the environment. Kassi added that his art promotes culture for future generations.

According to Kassi, his paintings have made a huge impact in Cote d'Ivoire and many of the surrounding African countries, but the artist admits he has yet to make a splash in the United States, Europe and Asia. Kassi, who had some training in art after his primary education, said he is inspired by his culture, environment, imagination and life experience. "It's [my art] an expression of myself," said Kassi. "I cannot see myself as a wealthy man, but I can say that my art work is enough for me to live on."

But what do African women think of Kassi's work? Most women who see Kassi's work applaud him and urge him to continue to represent them in this style. "We are the true women of Africa and we find comfort in what Kassi is doing," said Fatuma, one of the women who appreciates Kassi's work.

In Ghana, large, buxom women are seen dancing on stage and advertising various products. Ghana Television often runs fashion shows called Miss Excel for big women, which has brought many of them into the public eye. Kassi definitely seems to have captured the hearts of the women he depicts in his paintings in an appreciation for what he sees as true African beauty. Kassi hopes that one day, he can share this appreciation with a global audience.