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One of Canada's most important early artists, Maurice Cullen was born in 1866 in St. John's Newfoundland. Cullen moved to Montreal with his family in 1870. At the age of 22, he began his art training as a sculptor at the Conseil des Arts et Manufactures with sculptor Louis-Philippe Hébert, and in 1889 travelled to Paris to study painting at the École des Beaux-arts with Jean-Léon Gérôme, and then with Élie Delaunay.
Although he had a traditional academic training in Europe, he was exposed to the works of younger artists, which included several Canadian artists studying abroad, and to modern Impressionist painting, which proved to be a strong influence on his subsequent art. He came back to Canada in 1895, but returned to Europe in 1895-1902 and in 1925 in order to paint in France, Italy, the Netherlands, and in North Africa. In Canada, he generally spent his summers painting in the Québec countryside and his winters painting city views. He was particularly admired for his winter paintings of Montreal, which often depicted romantic impressions of the urban landscape at night.
Cullen had a strong influence on the course of Canadian art through his painting, but also as an instructor at the Art Association of Montreal where he taught for many years. He showed in the first exhibition of the Canadian Art Club, an advanced group of the period, and was made a member in 1910.
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