Justin Pieris Deraniyagala
Justin Pieris Deraniyagala (20 July 1903 – 24 May 1967) was a Sri Lankan painter. Deraniyagala was a founder member of the Colombo '43 Group of Sri Lankan artists and along with Lionel Wendt, George Keyt and Harold Peiris. Born on 20 July 1903 in Colombo, to Sir Paul Edward Pieris, civil servant and scholar, and Lady Hilda Obeyesekere Pieris. He had a brother Paules Edward Pieris Deraniyagala, a zoologist who became the Director of the National Museum of Ceylon and a sister Miriam Pieris Deraniyagala, a performing artist on her own right, her son is the Sri Lankan cellist Rohan de Saram. Deraniyagala was educated at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, received his art training at Atellier Art School under Mudaliyar A.C.G.S. Amaraseker, at the Training College under Bergen and C.F. Winzer. In 1921, he entered Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating in 1924 with a BA having read law. At Cambridge, Deraniyagala won blues at Bantam Weight Boxing. He went on to Slade School of Fine Art, winning the first prize for drawing in 1928. He spent the next few years in London and in Paris studying and working, where he was influenced by the works of Pablo Picasso, Henri