The latest post on artist Vishnu P R’s Instagram handle is a hyperrealistic portrait of actor Neeraj Madhav’s character Moosa Rehman from the series, The Family Man. The last of the five pictures uploaded with the post is a side by side, the cut-to-the-middle juxtaposition of the photo Vishnu used as a reference on the left and the resulting creation to the right. However, even if Vishnu had switched the caption mentioning which was which, it would have been almost impossible for a viewer to tell the difference. The 28-year-old’s skill at hyperrealistic portraits is something most artists aspire for. Little wonder then that he has been called the country’s best.
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An alumnus of RLV College of Music and Fine Arts, Vishnu’s tryst with digital portraits is a result of his initial work in designing posters for movies. “I worked as a graphic designer for three years at a production company after graduation and was part of the team which designed posters for Aadu and Peruchazhi movies among others.
Those years forged my interest in studying faces and expressions. Eventually, I started recreating pictures that I came across on the internet. It’s also one of the reasons why my feed is full of celebrity portraits,” says Vishnu who is currently working as an illustrator in a marketing communications company in Bengaluru.
Years of practice and perfection have helped Vishnu add multiple feathers in his cap, the latest being a spot in the coveted list of best Indian illustrators released by Creative Gaga, a popular art and design magazine which caters to the niche community of budding new-age artists in the country. “The magazine had featured my profile in one of their issues around two years ago. But recently they came out with a special online edition on best Indian illustrators and I was named one among them. It was completely unexpected but I am honoured and grateful for the recognition,” says Vishnu, who works on Adobe Photoshop and Apple Procreate.
A prolific creator, Vishnu’s Instagram feed which documents his personal projects, is a frame after frame example of his attention to detail. His vivid portraits do not miss even the minutest detail. Not one freckle or one strand of hair or even the ever so slight hint of a crease on the faces of his subjects goes undrawn; a level of finesse that matches a photograph.
“I pay a lot of attention to detail. That is the most important aspect for me. With every illustration, I try to make it as close to a photograph as possible. My next big personal project is going to be a series called Dasavatharam,” says Vishnu.
You can view his illustrations or contact him for commissions on Instagram @artbyvishnu.