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Mohan Samant,
who is emigrating to the U.S. next year, holds a valedictory
exhibition at the Taj Art Gallery till January 1.
Lyricism
Highly
priced, as indeed they should be, these paintings carry titles
which this artist probably uses to pull the legs of pompous
patrons and uninitiated crowds. Even the unwary reviewer can
fall into the trap and engage himself in the futile exercise
of uncovering the “meaning” of each painting vis-a-vis
it's title.
Samant's
art can be described in one simple work: primeval: He is literally
a volcano; the mainfold means of visual expression erupt out
of him and then coalesce on to the huge canvas. But he is discreet
enough not to overstep the confines of his material and strive
for artificial three-dimensional effects.
Lyricism
There was discernible a danger of the latter trend developing
the last exhibition he had at the same gallery (his second since
his return from the States). Not only do I not find any reason
to suspect this in the current show but I can see a new lyricism
(a la Chagall) in such a painting as “A Poet - A Moon”.
My personal preferences: “Four Priestesses” - a take-off
on Gauguin. Indeed, the anatomies of the four figures (three
of which are from a clipping, the fourth at the left towering
in its sitting posture) are Egyptian instance but Tahitian in
sprit. The ribbon of green which Samant had used accentuates
the Gauguinesque impression.
Non-committal in a ----- way is “Portrait of a Learned
Bull.” “Forced Landing of Adam and Eve” is much
too uneven for my taste but it fully embodies the distrait technique
of collage.
Among other things, Samant is an accomplished sarangi player.
His painting on the theme is a big success and you can have
the consolation of spotting both the sarangi player and the
percussionist on the canvas!
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