Harold Peiris
| Harold Peiris | |
|---|---|
| Born |
10 August 1904 Sri Lanka |
| Died | 1988 |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Education |
Royal College, Colombo, St. John's College, Cambridge Royal Academy of London |
| Occupation | artist, scholar and translator |
Harold Peiris (1904–1988) was a Sri Lankan artist, lawyer, author, scholar, teacher and translator. He was the co-founder of the Lionel Wendt Art Centre and its sole life-trustee. He also established the Sapumal Foundation.
Born to a celebrated wealthy aristocratic family, he was the only son of Charles Peiris, the younger brother of the more famous Sir James Peiris and Maude de Mel, who was a sister of Sir Henry De Mel. He is a great grandson of Sir Charles Henry de Soysa. Educated at Royal College, Colombo and St. John's College, Cambridge, Harold graduated with a degree in law and became a Barrister at Lincoln's Inn.
In 1923, he joined the Royal Academy of London and obtained a Diploma in Art, where Sir William Rothenstein was one of his teachers. In 1926 he won the prize for the best portrait, one of his uncle, Sir James Pieris. Thereafter he spent six years in Paris where he befriended Henri Matisse and Henri Cartier-Bresson. Peiris became a teacher at Rabindranath Tagore's Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan before returning to Ceylon in 1935.
Pieris, Lionel Wendt, George Keyt, Ivan Peries, Justin Daraniyagala, Aubrey Collette, Richard Gabriel, Geoffrey Beling, George Claessen and L T P Manjusri Thero were original members of the Colombo '43 Group that laid the foundation of modern art in Sri Lanka.Lester James Peries became a latter associate of the group. Pieris, Wendt and Keyt are also known for their efforts to popularise Kandyan dance and other Sri Lankan dance forms.
...
Wikipedia