Levis from Québec (1906)
MAURICEGALBRAITHCULLEN
(1866 -
1934)
Cullen took up a new medium after seeing the work of Claude Monet and other impressionist painters. By 1894, he had been featured in the Salon and was consequently considered an established artist.
In 1895, Cullen returned to Montreal to open a studio. He made sketches of his trips along the St. Laurence and continued to paint winter landscapes. Although Cullen was elected an Associate of the Société National des Beaux-Arts, France, a title held by many outstanding European artists, his winter landscape paintings could not
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Levis from Québec (1906) |
In Montréal, he continued sketching night scenes which captured the spirit of ordinary day-to-day life. Cullen was very careful of the media he used. He worked either with thick or thin surfaces, and today, his paintings pose a few problems for the art restorer because of this. He mixed his own paints, using eight colours at the most, because of the low quality of some blended paints. He also made his own pastels from earths and other pigments with a minimum of brush work. In Montréal, he sketched night scenes where he captured the spirit of ordinary day-to-day life. Cullen was very careful of the media he used. He worked either with very thick or very thin surfaces, and as a result, today his paintings pose a few problems for the art restorer. Cullen mixed his own paints, using eight colours at the most, because of the low quality of some blended paints. He also made his own pastels from earths and other pigments with a minimum of brush work.
In 1918, Cullen went to France as a war artist with the rank of Captain. He died at Chambly, Quebec at the age of 68. A large retrospective exhibition of his works was held in 1956 at the National Gallery of Canada under the sponsorship of the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Art Gallery of Toronto, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the National Gallery.
 Summer Near Beaupré (c.1900) |
 The Last Loads (1916) |
