nair C.P.Suresh

Portrait of C.P.Suresh

He spends his time between France and India since 1997. Now,he spend more timein India to complete the research and to work on temple wall.
He is as well known in his country as in France. With the guru Krishnankutty Nair, the young man participated in the restoration of frescoes from temples of great renown, such as Kalamandalam.

In a not so distant future, we don’t know if there will be guarantors of the memory capable of keeping the art of Kerala’s sacred painting alive.

This art is considered sacred, because there is a profound spiritual component to it. "Some paintings are there to induce a meditative state, and require that the artist himself works in this state", says Suresh, for whom the creative aspect is inevitably limited: "The painter must focus on one poem only, and the result will depend on the artist’s sensibility and his level of spirituality."

Kerala’s sacred painting draws on one source: the Sanskrit collected poems written some 5,000 years ago by sages who, deeply immersed in a state of meditation, had visions of God that they transcribed, which gave us the Dyânashlokas.

Suresh uses ancient techniques for wall preparation that are being lost. He himself prepares the colours from inorganic pigments (such as laterite) and plants. He also makes his own brushes from wild oats, using the sap of neem tree leaves as a bonding agent. Not even considering the colours preparation, nobody in their right mind would engage in a painting technique requiring this much time and meticulousness. Before one can draw the first line, about forty layers of whitewash must be applied. “After, we have to go over many times, for example apply the yellow colour about fifteen times”, explains Suresh, mentionning it took him over a year to learn how to mix colours.

Temples or palaces are not found everywhere. Therefore, Suresh thought of using cement “canvas” for his art, while respecting all existing rules from this ancient art he is wanting to preserve.

In his country, he sold “paintings” to movie stars, among others. In Europe, he found buyers in France and Switzerland. Is this Indian artist the last of the Mohicans? Although faithful to the tradition, he understands the need to use new techniques to sell to potential European private buyers may not be as patient as Indians: a drawing ordered can be delivered many months later, the necessary time to accomplish a work of art in all ways exceptional and, to be honest, priceless.