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A first-class, if frequently uneven, Indian artist presents
slab-like, incised tablets, conveying a vision by means located
somewhere between Dubuffet's graffiti and the symbols of Hindu
mythologies. As a symbolist Mr. Samant is at his best when his
miniature reefs of sand and incisions of calligraphy remain
more than slightly remote, when his colors have a suggestiveness
and elusiveness that matches his forms (e.g. “Ultimate
Conversations” is a standout), and when his serialized
compositions are so worked out that they are not overcomplex
or oversimplified from a distance. At his best he is an artist
who can monumentalize oblique suggestions and delicacies, no
easy thing to do.
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