Silpi Biography 
P. M. Sreenivasan, best known as Silpi was a renowned artist and illustrator from Tamil Nadu. Silpi was a line artist and known as Master in pen and ink drawings. He has immortalized sketching sculptures on many Tamil Nadu temples and a highly acclaimed and respected artist of Tamil Nadu in the 20th century. His detailed renditions of Tamil architecture and sculpture in Ananda Vikatan magazine are great contributions to Tamil Nadu art. Many of his sketches have been sculptured on walls of famous temples like Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswami Temple, Trichy. Sreenivasan was more inclined to sketch buildings than human figures.
He was born in Namakkal in 1919 as Sreenivasan. Since younger days, he was interested in sketching more than studies. It was the acclaimed poet Namakkal Ramalingam Pillai who advised him to join the Madras Art College in Egmore. He joined for a 6 year course. But seeing his talent, College Principal sent him straight to fourth year from second year. His sketches were highly appreciated by all. He was inspired a lot by famous cartoonist Maali’s caricatures during his academic years and during his last years of work, there were deep influences of this artist in his works too.
After studies he worked with Tamil Magazine Anantha Vikadan for 22 years. He has also worked with Tamil magazines like Kalai Magal, Thinamani Kathir and Idayam Pesugirathu showcasing the beauty of South Indian temple sculpture. Unlike other artists, he was drawn towards sketches of buildings than humans and for the same reason artist Mali gave him the name ‘Silpi’ and commissioned him to sketch temple sculpture which included the divine stone sculptures with fourth dimension. He usually sketched his works on the locations at night time. He found his successor in 1981 in a teenager of 15 years named Giridharan.
Published: N/A
Updated: June 15, 2014
