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M. Suriyamoorthy was born and bred at Tanjore, thus influenced by the Tanjore School, and encouraged by his mother and father, who engaged a tutor for this purpose. In 1961 he enrolled in the Government College of Arts and Crafts in Chennai, where he received a 1^st Class diploma in 1963. Later he joined the MS University of Baroda as a cultural research scholar, this time under prof. K.G. Subramanian, where he specialized in painting, murals and graphics. In his long career, he has participated in group shows all over the world and has had numerous solo exhibitions in India and abroad.

M. Suriyamoorthy is known for his portraying of Indian life, especially with the woman as the centre of his themes. Often it is the mother and child, which captivates his mind and he finds inspiration on his journeys throughout India. Since he is from a coastal town in Southern India, fishermen and the likes are well known subjects in his paintings, just like prawns and fish have played an important role in more than one of his series. M. Suriyamoorthy is known for his busy and very flowing style of expression and even makes his own paint with which he creates his dynamic canvas. Colours have also played a great part in his works, though he sometimes takes a break with black and white as his only hues. There are many interesting nuances in his work, like the fact that his riot of colour is actually a very well orchestrated structure, a method to his madness. He has made sure that, seen from any angle, the colours used are equally distributed over his canvasses. The Kama Sutra has been another of M. Suriamoorthy’s great inspirations, especially in his larger works, but it is the family love and everyday life that have had the biggest influence on his life and work.

From the press release of "One Day I'll Fly Away", solo exhibition, Artmosaic Gallery, Singapore, 2008

"I have evolved my own style which is unique by itself. You could describe it as a one-man movement. In my view each artist can do what he thinks he ought to. I have never copied any old master, never followed any ism - in fact, it would be difficult for me to copy any one of my own works. I have used The Brahmaputra, the Ganges, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Cauvery as also the Abhishekam waters from various temples for the purpose of painting. These have been the sources of the pigments I use. After my father’s death, he was a Siddha practitioner, most of the medicines were in disuse.  So I mixed the various ingredients to achieve the colours I desired – ground sea shells to derive the white, used natural gum from the trees in my garden and collected waters from the major rivers in India. I am not good at verbal expression, but in art I can have my say. I hope viewers read their feelings in my pictures, it will be a creative experience for them too. If I strike a chord, they will answer it”

M. Suriyamoorthy