George Percival Sproule Keyt (1901-1993) was a well-known Sri Lankan painter and poet of Dutch-Ceylonese descent. He was born in April 1901 in Kandy.
George Keyt (Sri Lankan Painter) G eorge Percival Sproule Keyt (b.1901-d.1993; Sinhala: ජෝර්ජ් කිට්) was a well-known Sri Lankan painter and poet of Dutch-Ceylonese descent. Early Life
George Keyt was born on 17 April 1901 in Kandy, Sri Lanka to Henry Keyt (1867-1927) who had married Evelyn Sproule (Bandara, 2018; Dalmia, 2016; Dharmasiri, 1990). He went to school at Trinity College in Kandy and began to draw from a very early age (Bandara, 2018; Dalmia, 2016; Dharmasiri, 1990). In the 1920s he embraced Sinhala-Buddhist culture due to the influence of Malwatta Viharaya which is located near his home (Bandara, 2018; Dharmasiri, 1990). With the push of Lionel Wendt, Keyt joined the Ceylon Art Club in 1927 and began himself as a full-time painter (Dharmasiri, 1990). In 1930 he married Gladys Ruth Jansz and gave birth to two daughters Diana and Flavia (Bandara, 2018; Dalmia, 2016). However, the marriage was broken and Keyt decided to live with a lady named Pilawela Manike who later gave birth to two sons Prem and Sachin (…
