[1] He is best known for his paintings of snow and his depictions of ice harvest scenes, featuring horse-drawn sleighs traveling across the frozen waters of Quebec during winter.

He entered the École des Beaux-Arts and had not been there long when, according to Montreal art dealer William R. Watson he realized his vocation was painting and he "exchanged his chisel for a brush."

[6] Although he received academic training, he was influenced in his painting by the Impressionists, especially Claude Monet and, as early as 1891, critics gave positive reviews to his Impressionist-influenced work.

[7] However, in 1895, he returned to Montreal and made it his home, turning from French subjects to Canadian ones, with an emphasis on snowscapes and using a modified Impressionist technique.

"[5]Beginning in January 1918, Cullen served with Canadian forces with the rank of Captain in the First World War.

He came to the attention of Lord Beaverbrook, who arranged for him to be commissioned as one of the Canadian official war artists along with Frederick Varley, J.W.

[14] In 2000, his retrospective was held in Montreal by Alan Klinkhoff Gallery with a catalogue essay by Conrad Graham.