This botanical illustrator is charting the Endemic and Endanghed Species of the Western Ghats, One brushstroke at a time

At the interaction of art and science, lies the realm of botanical illustration. For suresh ragavan, a bird artist, who have served as a botanical illustrator at the botanical survey of India for over 33 years, this realm has not only been a source of his butter, but inspires That kept fueling his passion for nature. This passion has now translated into a solo exhibition – Titled, Brushstrokes of Endemic Echoes – of His Creations, 157 of which adorn the kadambari art gally, dakshinachitra museum, chennai.

Suresh Captures Microscopic Details, Like Ovary Shape, Stamen Arrangement, or Leaf venation While Working Under a Microscope | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

“A botanical Illustrator faces many challenges, bot artistic and scientific. Rejections from Botanists. Getting Final Approval often means of corrections, especially when working on Species with Minute Differences, Like Male and Female Plants Similar varieties, “explains suresh, about the nitty-gritty of his artistic endeavors. “Capturing Microscopic Details Like Ovary Shape, Stamen Arrangement, Or Leaf Venation Requires Intense Focus and Sometimes Working Under a Microscope. The Challenge of interpreting insomplet Wilted Specimens Collected From The Field. Above All, PATINCE ARE CONSTANTANT Companions in this demanding, but rewarding work ”

Vigors’s Sunbird | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A graduate of the government college of arts and crafts, chennai (1988), suresh began his professional journey, driven by a mission to use art for conservation. In Doing So, He Has DOCUMENTED AND PANTED A Vast Array of Species, Including Wild Animals, Orchids, Butterflies, and Especially Birds.

He has studied and illustrated over 157 endangered bird speech, ensuring that etc. anatomical feature – Beak, Feet, Feather Pattern, Body Posture, Body Posture, and Eveen Minute Sexual DimorphisMs Betwane Mals and Females – Is Faithfully represented. “In Total, I Have Nearly 550 Paintings. Pallas’s Fish Eagle, Mangrove Pitta, Nilgiri Thrush, Vigors’s Sunbird, Great Hornbill, Nilgiri Chilappan, Flame-Throated Bulbul, Malabar Grey Hornbill and Black-Greck-Greycatcher, ”

Black-Rand-Orange Flycatcher | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The spectrum of botanical illustrators spans a colorful transctory. Encyclopaedia Britannica Cites Classical Pharmacologist, Artist, and Physician to Mithradates Vi, King of Pontus (120–63 BC) Crateuas’s Crituas’s Drawings as the Earliest Know Botan Botanical location. In India, the earliest form of botanical arts its roots to depictions on Early archaeological sites and in ancient manuscripts. This sphere of art flourishes even today, despite the convenience of high-end cameras and mobile phones. Why, Thought? “Despite all the fancy cameras, a botanical illustrator contains what the lens often misses – Clarity, Emotion, Emotion, and Essence. Brush highlights them with precision. Life into the Subject. The PaintBrush does not just record a plant – it interpreters it, “Says Suresh.

Great Hornbill | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

True to his words, suresh’s work stands out for its scientific accuracy and sensitivity to detail. He Uses Water Colors on Paper as His Medium of Expression. His illustrations have been widely academy in academic papers, Conservation reports, exhibitions, exhibits, and they serve as Visual records of speech that are incrasingly threatened by Habitat Losses, Climate Change, and Human Encroachment. Many of his paintings focus on Endemic and Endanghed Species of the Western Ghats and India, Highlighting their Fragile Existent and the Urgent Need for their protection.

Suresh Uses Water Colors on Paper as His Medium of Expression | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

On Display at Kadambari Art Gallery, Dakshinachitra Museum, Chennai, Till June 2; 10am to 6pm; Weekends Till 7pm. Entry is inclined with regular museum admission (closed on tuesdays).

Published – May 30, 2025 04:33 pm IST