Bernard Cathelin (1919-2004) was a French artist and lithographer. Having volunteered for military service in 1939, he enrolled at École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in 1945. Upon completion of his education, he was a teacher at the school until 1953. Cathelin was awarded the Prix Blumenthal award for young artists in 1950 and the Emily Loewe Prize and Othon Friesz Prize. Well-known in the contemporary art scene, Cathelin held more than 50 exhibitions worldwide. Cathelin’s international appeal is in part due to the energy and vitality seen throughout all his works. The intensity of his paintings comes from his use of texturing and layering which result in dynamic images, where landscapes are not stationary and models are not still. He was awarded the French Legion of Honour in January 1995. Cathelin visited Ceylon in 1967.