Harold Peiris

Harold Peiris
Born (1904-08-10)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.[1][2][3] He also established the Sapumal Foundation.[4][5][6]

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.[7][8][9] He is a great grandson of Sir Charles Henry de Soysa.[10] 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.[3]

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.[7][5][4]

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.[7][5][6][11] Lester James Peries became a latter associate of the group.[11] Pieris, Wendt and Keyt are also known for their efforts to popularise Kandyan dance and other Sri Lankan dance forms.[12]

Peiris was one of the co-founders of the Lionel Wendt Art Centre that was opened in 1953 in memory of artist Lionel Wendt. The second gallery of the center is named Harold Peiris Gallery in his honor. Fluent in several languages, including Pali, Sanskrit and Latin, he translated to Sinhalese the Gita Govinda in collaboration with George Keyt in 1940 and in collaboration with L.C. Van Geyzel, translated most of the poems and plays of Kālidāsa in 1961.[1][3][13]

Harold Peiris married first in 1928 to Leah, daughter of S.W. Dassenaike, a retired Public Works Department engineer and a member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon and second to Alicia "Peggy" Keyt sister of the artist George Keyt in 1940.[3] He also founded the Sapumal Foundation in 1974 and bequeathed his house and art collection to it.[5][4][6] Several mansions that were once owned by his family were either gifted or acquired by prominent institutions of Colombo, including Bishop's College, Colombo, St Bridget's Convent, Colombo and the Durdans Hospital.[9][14][15][16]

References

  1. 1 2 Lionel Wendt Arts Centre Website: Harold Pieris, Retrieved 10 June 2015
  2. ↑ 43 Group & Harry Pieris, Sapumal Foundation Website, Retrieved 10 June 2015
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Harold Peiris". Sundaytimes.lk. 22 July 1905. Retrieved 2011-09-10.
  4. 1 2 3 A houseful of art, The Sunday Times, Retrieved 9 June 2015
  5. 1 2 3 4 The 43 Group, Harry Pieris and the Sapumal Foundation by Rohan de Soysa & Michael Roberts, Retrieved 10 December 2014
  6. 1 2 3 Sapumal Foundation Website, Retrieved 9 June 2015
  7. 1 2 3 Elements of an art lover, Ceylon Today, Retrieved 10 June 2015
  8. ↑ Planter Profile: Charles Peiris, History of Ceylon Tea Website, Retrieved 9 June 2015
  9. 1 2 Mansions of Kolluptiya, Colombo in the early twentieth century Retrieved 10 December 2014
  10. ↑ Charles Henry De Soysa; The Anepindu Sitano of Lanka, by Buddhika Kurukularatne The Island (Sri Lanka) Retrieved 1 December 2014
  11. 1 2 Remembering a patriotic artist by Godwin Witane, Retrieved 11 June 2015
  12. ↑ Traditional dance in British Ceylon by Kamalika Pieris (The Island), Retrieved 22 October 2016
  13. ↑ The lives of Keyt by Tissa Devendra (Sunday Observer), Retrieved 22 October 2015
  14. ↑ School History: Bishop's College, Official Website, Retrieved 9 June 2015
  15. ↑ School History: St Bridget's Convent, Official Website, Retrieved 9 June 2015
  16. ↑ Colombo 03: When the roads were cart tracks, Ceylon Today, Retrieved 11 June 2015

External links


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