Mohan Samant, Midnight Fishing Party 1978. Tate. © Estate of Mohan Samant.
This display brings together mixed media works from the Indian artist’s studio experimentations in 1970s and 1980s New York
Using paper and wrought iron, Mohan Samant gave a threedimensional quality to his paintings. Carving shallow recesses in his canvases and attaching complex wire constructions, he experimented with sculptural relief processes. He would continue to develop this technique throughout his career. These playful, sculptural compositions reflect his original visual language.
Samant’s imagery draws from a range of sources across history and geography. ‘I was able to develop the linear relief and hieroglyphic aspects of Egyptian art and the rough texture of the Lascaux caves into a contemporary synthesis, while retaining the colours of Indian miniature paintings,’ he explained. He would then attach ‘wire drawings’ to his textured surfaces. Samant’s scenes may appear ambiguous. He described the characters in them as ‘archetypal figures dramatically acting upon a backdrop of timelessness created by the mythological.’
While he was at art school in Bombay (now Mumbai), Samant travelled to historic sites around India, getting to know the country’s art. After a successful career in India, he spent time in Rome on an Italian government scholarship in 1957–58. He also visited Egypt, which had a significant impact on his art. A Rockefeller fellowship brought him to New York where he remained from 1959–64 and it was during this time that he started exhibiting internationally.
In 1968 he moved permanently to New York. Samant was also an accomplished musician. He played the sarangi, an Indian string instrument, which he practised daily. He would apply the agility of musical improvisation to his art.
Geta Bratescu, Medeic Callisthenic Moves 1980–1
Medeic Callisthetic Moves 1980–1 is a set of six embroideries on bleached linen; each one is 600 by 500 millimetres. They are always shown as a group in an order specified by the artist, who refers to them as ‘drawings’. Originally, the works were displayed attached directly to the wall, but they are now glazed. The pastel coloured pattern on each one was done with the use of a sewing machine. An abstract oval form is repeated in the centre of each of the embroideries and is an emblematic portrait of the Greek mythical character Medea, who gives the work its title. Medea was the daughter of King Aeetes of Colchis and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Known for her qualities as a sorceress, Medea helped the adventurer Jason obtain the golden fleece from her father, killing her own brother as she aided Jason and his Argonauts to flee. Although he had promised to marry her, Jason later deserted her.
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artworks in Mohan Samant
Geta Bratescu, Hands (For the Eye, the Hand of My Body Draws My Portrait) 1977
Hands (For the Eye, the Hand of My Body Draws My Portrait) 1977 is a black and white silent film lasting 7 minutes and 30 seconds. The work exists in an edition of 5, of which this copy is number 2, and 2 artist’s proofs. It was originally shot on 8mm film and transferred to DVD more recently. The camera was operated by fellow Romanian artist Ion Grigorescu (born 1945), with whom Bratescu frequently collaborated. In the film the artist’s hands, filmed from her eye level, are performing various movements and activities above her drawing board. The sequence starts with her playing with different objects on the desk, holding a cigarette, removing a wedding ring. The artist subsequently switches to drawing lines on her palms with a black marker and finally tracing the contours of both her hands on a piece of paper.
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artworks in Mohan Samant
Art in this room
Geta Bratescu
Medeic Callisthenic Moves
1980–1
Geta Bratescu
Hands (For the Eye, the Hand of My Body Draws My Portrait)
1977