Samuel John Peploe

Samuel John Peploe, RSA (British, 1871-1935) Still Life, Roses and Chinese Blue signed 'Peploe' (lower left) oil on canvas 54.5 x 50 cm. (21 5/8 x 19 3/4 in.) EXHIBITED: Loaned to London, The Fine Art Society, Three Scottish Colourists , February-April 1977, cat. no. 39 Loaned to London, The Fine Art Society, Masterpieces of the Scottish Colourists , October-November 1989 (as Still Life with Roses ) Loaned to London, The Fine Art Society, The Scottish Colourists , 19 June-21 July 2000, cat. no. 28 (as Still Life, Roses and Chinese Jar ) This archetypal still life, painted circa 1924, features the motifs for which Peploe became most celebrated: roses (often pink) in a Chinese vase, fruit, crockery and drapery. These objects, occasionally augmented by a fan or mirror, were explored in seemingly endless permutations as the artist famously sought to paint 'the perfect still life'. His compositions were meticulously planned and executed, exploring the balance between naturalism and design for which the Colourists were renowned. Peploe's compositions create a dialogue between object and space, colour and tone, and this example employs prominent geometry and stylised form in the flower heads and folds. Post-1920, Peploe's still life work features more subtle colour and chalky tones, here enlivened by the warm lilac drape and yellow passage to the left edge. The dramatic dark plane is also characteristic of this period, stressing the two dimensions of the picture plane in which the artist contrives space through pattern and line.

Samuel John Peploe, R.S.A. (1871-1935) Still life with Pink Roses, Oranges and a Pear signed 'Peploe' (lower right) oil on canvas 22 x 18 in. (55.9 x 45.7 cm.) Painted in the late 1920s. Alexander Reid, Glasgow, 1929. with Fine Art Society, London, 1981, where purchased by the present owner. Edinburgh, Scottish Arts Council, Three Colourists: F.C.B. Cadell, 1883-1937, Leslie Hunter, 1879-1931, S.J. Peploe, 1871-1935, May - June 1970, no. 79, as 'Roses'. Still Life of Pink Roses, Oranges and a Pear was formerly in the collection of Alexander Reid (1854-1928), one of the foremost art dealers in Britain in his day. He opened his gallery, La Societé des Beaux-Arts in Glasgow in 1889 after spending a short period in Paris. During his time there he had worked with the dealers Boussod & Valadon, where he encountered Theo van Gogh and his brother Vincent, who painted two portraits of him. Reid was the first dealer to show the work of the French Impressionists in Scotland: indeed his clear admiration for Peploe's work was possibly as a result of his own passion for Impressionism. In December 1919, Reid bought seven still lifes with which to decorate his house in Westbourne Gardens (see F. Fowle, Van Gogh's Twin: The Scottish Art Dealer Alexander Reid, 1854-1928, Scotland, 2010, p. 122). He also handled Whistler's paintings and the work of the younger Glasgow Boys. Reid was instrumental in setting up the London exhibition of Three Scottish Colourists at the Leicester Galleries in January 1923 and was a key figure in establishing the collective identity of the Colourist group. The present work is an exceptional painting dating from the late 1920s, the period of Peploe's most fervent exploration of the still life genre. The rose was his most characteristic subject during this period, and looking at Still Life of Pink Roses, Oranges and a Pear, Peploe's central motif takes the form of two roses, defined by quick brush strokes and strong lines. The careful arrangement of the composition: the vibrant pink roses tipping to the side of their glass vase and the crumpled cloth on the table, epitomise Peploe's strong command of form and symmetry. His canvas is a harmony of colour and shape. The artist has flooded the composition with light, allowing him to focus on the relationship between pure shades of blue, green, pink and orange rather than on building a realistic image based on shadow and tone. The juxtaposition of curvilinear forms such as the pear on the table and the geometric fragment of the painting frame in the upper right corner, together with an atmospheric application of paint fully demonstrate Peploe's skilful ability to capture the relationship of colour, symmetry, and form.

Samuel John Peploe, RSA (British, 1871-1935) Interior with Girl in White signed 'Peploe' (lower right) oil on canvas 101.5 x 77 cm. (40 x 30 1/4 in.) Painted circa 1905/07 PROVENANCE: With Alexander Reid, Glasgow Willy Peploe (the artist's brother) With the Fine Art Society, London 1968 With Duncan R. Miller Fine Arts, London EXHIBITED: Edinburgh, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, S.J. Peploe , June-September, 1985, no. 42 Glasgow, Duncan R. Miller Fine Arts, The Scottish Colourists , 5- 28 May 1995, cat. no. 1 (Peploe) London, Duncan R. Miller Fine Arts, Aspects of Twentieth Century Scottish Art , Autumn 1996, cat. no. 2 This 'White Period' picture was painted in what had been Sir Henry Raeburn's studio in York Place, Edinburgh, where Peploe worked 1905-10. His biographer Stanley Cursiter ( Peploe , Thomas Nelson, London, 1947, p.17) describes it thus: "Peploe decorated the room in a pale grey with a hint of pink: on the floor he had black polished linoleum, a white sofa, a few chairs, an antique bureau...Here he painted in a very light key...interiors, and figure pictures in pale and lovely colours. He had a new model, Peggie McRae, a charming, witty and attractive girl, who had the rare gift of complete grace which made her every movement interesting; she dropped naturally into poses which were balanced and harmonious and, better still, she immediately impersonated the figure she was asked to represent...Peggie McRae fitted perfectly into the pale grey, polished black and the white sofa of Peploe's new setting, and she was the original of many of the figure pictures in pink, grey, and black, and the pale pictures in muted whites, that he painted at this time." Cursiter goes on to describe how the artist's technique changed: "he adopted a medium which gave a still richer surface and which appeared to hold the brush marks with a still fuller body of paint. It has been suggested that he actually used some form of enamel, as the pigment takes on the smooth creamy quality and the flowing texture...it is more probable that his medium contained a large proportion of stand oil with some addition of varnish. Whatever it was, it had a very pleasing quality, slightly translucent..." (ibid, p.18) This is an elegant and fluid figure work on an imposing scale, betraying the influence of Sargent, and anticipates Peploe's celebrated A Girl in White of 1907.

Samuel John Peploe, R.S.A. (1871-1935) Still life with Pink Roses and Oranges in a blue and white vase oil on canvas 20½ x 14 7/8 in. (52 x 37.8 cm) with Alex Reid & Lefevre, London. with Fine Art Society, London, March 1977, where purchased by the present owner. THE PROPERTY OF A SWISS COLLECTOR Edinburgh, Fine Art Society, Three Scottish Colourists, February - March 1977: this exhibition travelled to London, Fine Art Society, March - April 1977. Throughout his career Peploe strove to paint the perfect still life, coming nearest to this ideal in the late 1920s. His desire for perfection in his work was obtained through his vigorous approach to the genre, his temperament making him ideally suited to the task. His calm reasoning and thoughtful manner enabled him to make a careful analysis of the problems which face the still life painter, as he set about resolving them in a series of works which includes many of his satisfying paintings. 'There is so much in mere objects, flowers, leaves, jugs, what not - colours, forms, relation - I can never see mystery coming to an end' (S.J. Peploe in S. Cursiter, Peploe, London, 1947, p. 73). It was his approach to the 'colours, forms, relation' that he was able to adapt and extend, developing his still lifes into more sophisticated and subtle works. Looking at Still Life with Pink Roses and Oranges in a blue and white vase, Peploe - typically of this period - synthesises traditional composition with an exploration of the decorative. Earlier still life paintings, especially in the 1900s, had established a sense of depth through reflection of form: this is still present here in the green tablecloth, but he has moved towards a rich patterning of colour, seen expressly in the painting of the pink roses against black and white, perhaps conveying his admiration for Matisse. Blue is used to outline the vase, roses and bowl whilst at the same time the diagonal lines and different planes of the picture add a handsome perspective to the composition. Reducing form to its essentials, Peploe is concerned above all with the intellectual, formal values of the elements in his composition. Painting with very bright and pure colour during this period, Peploe's still lifes burst with rich tones. Still Life with Pink Roses and Oranges in a blue and white vase exemplifies his use of vivid colour with heavy outline: the roses and vase almost appear to be spotlit; the oranges sing out with their strikingly citrus tones, contrasting dramatically with the luxurious dark drapery in the background. The rich colouring, dramatic juxtaposition of the vase, and the geometric lines of the drapes combine to create a rhythmic harmony of colour and form which is typical of his best work of this period. Still Life with Pink Roses and Oranges in a blue and white vase clearly suggests the influence of the French Post-Impressionists upon the artist. Peploe's richness of colour and confidence in handling paint was greatly inspired by Cézanne. Honeyman writes 'Peploe and Hunter ... were among the first in Britain to understand what Cézanne was attempting to do, and they never ceased to be aware of colour as the fundamental element in pictorial art' (T.J. Honeyman, Three Scottish Colourists, Edinburgh, 1950, p. 43.) Peploe regarded still lifes as serious works: requiring a considered intellectual effort allied to a careful hand and sure sense of colour and pattern. The bright, bursting colour, use of perspective and the meticulous set up of the objects in Still Life with Pink Roses and Oranges in a blue and white vase typify Peploe's style and approach to the genre.

Samuel John Peploe, RSA (British, 1871-1935) Still life of mixed roses in Chinese vase signed 'Peploe' (lower left) oil on canvas 45.5 x 40.5 cm. (17 15/16 x 15 15/16 in.) PROVENANCE: Sir William MacTaggart PRSA RA Thence by family descent With Forrest McKay, Edinburgh, May 1991, where purchased by the present owner There was no sustained tradition of still life painting in British art before the emergence of the Scottish Colourists circa 1900. However in Scotland there had been notable exceptions, such as Stuart Park's series of sumptuous rose paintings executed in the 1880s. The Colourists picked up on this subject matter, and the rich palette of the Glasgow School in the 1890s, and Peploe and Hunter in particular immersed themselves in the genre. The former set himself the task of painting the perfect still life, painstakingly setting up compositions featuring flowers and favourite motifs such as the Chinese vase, fan, crockery and drapery evident in this picture. Many of the works from the classic period are variations on a theme, as the artist explored the relationships and contrasts between form and space, colour and tone, nature and design. Early still lifes by Peploe, and indeed Hunter and Fergusson, were on a small scale and featured everyday objects against a dark background, much influenced by Manet or the Dutch masters. However during the war, and after his return from France, the relatively conservative Peploe became more experimental, employing more vibrant colour and dramatic form. This transitional work, executed circa 1920, has an arresting red ground and employs the typical cropped forms, flattened picture space and motifs which are hallmarks of his most characteristic pictures. His palette, though, would become chalky and the colour more restrained post 1920.