Harry Pieris
Harry Peiris | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 August 1904 Ceylon |
| Died | 14 March 1988 (aged 83) Sri Lanka |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Known for | Painting, drawing |
| Movement | Colombo '43 Group |
Harry Peiris (10 August 1904 – 14 March 1988) was a Sri Lankan painter. He is considered one the important Sri Lanka artists of the Colombo '43 Group of the 20th century.
Born on 10 August 1904 to a wealthy landed family, he was the eighth of eleven children. Sir James Peiris was his uncle and Harold Peiris his cousin. Pieris received his early art education at the Atelier School of Art under the tutelage of Mudaliyar A. C. G. S. Amarasekara. He studied Pali and Sanskrit at the University of Oxford and went on to study art at the Royal College of Art under Sir William Rothenstein. He won the prize for the best portrait in 1926, the portrait of his uncle, Sir James Pieris. He returned to Ceylon in 1927, having gained a diploma from the Royal College of Art. He went to Paris in 1929, spending six years under the tutelage of Robert Falk. He developed a close friendship with Henri Matisse and worked at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. He returned to Ceylon in 1935 after a teaching stint at the Rabindranath Tagore's Abode of Peace in Santiniketan, and took over the management of his family landholdings. He was a strong influence over the Colombo '43 Group serving as its secretary. Ivan Peries was a pupil of his. He founded the Sapumal Foundation to which he bequeathed his home and art collection.[1][2][3]
References
- ^ Goonetileke. "Birth anniversary of Harry Pieris : A life in art". Daily News. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ A houseful of art, The Sunday Times, Retrieved 9 June 2015
- ^ Sapumal Foundation Website, Retrieved 9 June 2015
