Samuel Peploe
Encyclopedia
Samuel John Peploe was a Scottish
Post-Impressionist
painter, noted for his still life
works and for being one of the group of four painters that became known as the Scottish Colourists
. The other colourists were John Duncan Fergusson
, Francis Cadell
and Leslie Hunter
.
Born in Edinburgh
, he studied at the Royal Scottish Academy
schools from 1893 to 1894, and then at the Académie Julian
and Académie Colarossi
in Paris
, where he shared a room with Robert Brough
. He visited Holland
in 1895, returning with reproductions of work by Rembrandt and Frans Hals
. From 1901, he undertook painting trips to northern France and the Hebrides
with his friend J. D. Fergusson, another of the Scottish Colourists. Inspired by the bright sunlight, he experimented with the bold use of colour, and the influence of the rustic realism of French painters, and of the Glasgow Boys
, is evident in his landscapes
.
Peploe moved to Paris in 1910, a period which saw him concentrate increasingly on still life and landscape painting. His still life works show the influence of Manet
, with combinations of fluid brushwork, thick impasto
and dark backgrounds with strong lighting. Returning to Scotland in 1912, he went on regular painting trips with friends to many parts of the country, and during the 1920s he spent several summers with Francis Cadell, another Scottish Colourist, painting in Iona
.
Peploe was strongly influenced by French painting throughout his life. Although his work never became overly abstract
, it was notable for its use of strong colour, tight composition, and meticulous execution. He died in Edinburgh in 1935.
Peploe's 1905 painting Still Life with Coffee Pot, sold on 26 May 2011 at Christies in London for £937,250, holds the record for the most expensive Scottish painting sold at auction. The previous record for a work by Peploe was £623,650 for Tulips, sold in 2010http://www.scotsman.com/news/1m-coffee-pot-smashes-art.6775119.jp.
by the Scottish writer Alexander McCall Smith
where a grandson of the painter makes a brief appearance. A Peploe painting also plays a small role in the novel Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
Post-Impressionist
Post-Impressionism
Post-Impressionism is the term coined by the British artist and art critic Roger Fry in 1910 to describe the development of French art since Manet. Fry used the term when he organized the 1910 exhibition Manet and Post-Impressionism...
painter, noted for his still life
Still life
A still life is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which may be either natural or man-made...
works and for being one of the group of four painters that became known as the Scottish Colourists
Scottish Colourists
The Scottish Colourists were a group of painters from Scotland whose work was not very highly regarded when it was first exhibited in the 1920s and 1930s, but which in the late 20th Century came to have a formative influence on contemporary Scottish art....
. The other colourists were John Duncan Fergusson
John Duncan Fergusson
John Duncan Fergusson was a Scottish artist, regarded as one of the major artists of the Scottish Colourists school of painting.- Early life :...
, Francis Cadell
Francis Cadell (artist)
Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell RSA was a Scottish Colourist painter, renowned for his depictions of the elegant New Town interiors of his native Edinburgh, and for his work on Iona....
and Leslie Hunter
Leslie Hunter
George Leslie Hunter , commonly just called Leslie Hunter, was a self-taught Scottish painter and one of the artists of the Scottish Colourists school of painting. He spent much of his early life in California, USA, but returned later to Scotland and traveled widely in Europe, especially in the...
.
Born in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, he studied at the Royal Scottish Academy
Royal Scottish Academy
The Royal Scottish Academy is a Scottish organisation that promotes contemporary Scottish art. Founded in 1826, as the Royal Institution for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts, the RSA maintains a unique position in Scotland as an independently funded institution led by eminent artists and...
schools from 1893 to 1894, and then at the Académie Julian
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian was an art school in Paris, France.Rodolphe Julian established the Académie Julian in 1868 at the Passage des Panoramas, as a private studio school for art students. The Académie Julian not only prepared students to the exams at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts, but offered...
and Académie Colarossi
Académie Colarossi
The Académie Colarossi is an art school founded by the Italian sculptor Filippo Colarossi. First located on the Île de la Cité, it moved in the 1870s to 10 rue de la Grande-Chaumière in the VIe arrondissement of Paris, France....
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he shared a room with Robert Brough
Robert Brough
Robert Brough was a Scottish painter born in Invergordon, Ross and Cromarty.He was educated in Aberdeen, and, whilst apprenticed for over six years as lithographer to Messrs Gibb & Co., attended the night classes at Gray's School of Art...
. He visited Holland
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in 1895, returning with reproductions of work by Rembrandt and Frans Hals
Frans Hals
Frans Hals was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He is notable for his loose painterly brushwork, and helped introduce this lively style of painting into Dutch art. Hals was also instrumental in the evolution of 17th century group portraiture.-Biography:Hals was born in 1580 or 1581, in Antwerp...
. From 1901, he undertook painting trips to northern France and the Hebrides
Hebrides
The Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
with his friend J. D. Fergusson, another of the Scottish Colourists. Inspired by the bright sunlight, he experimented with the bold use of colour, and the influence of the rustic realism of French painters, and of the Glasgow Boys
Glasgow School
The Glasgow School was a circle of influential modern artists and designers who began to coalesce in Glasgow, Scotland in the 1870s, and flourished from the 1890s to sometime around 1910. Representative groups were: The Four , the Glasgow Girls and the Glasgow Boys...
, is evident in his landscapes
Landscape art
Landscape art is a term that covers the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, and especially art where the main subject is a wide view, with its elements arranged into a coherent composition. In other works landscape backgrounds for figures can still...
.
Peploe moved to Paris in 1910, a period which saw him concentrate increasingly on still life and landscape painting. His still life works show the influence of Manet
Édouard Manet
Édouard Manet was a French painter. One of the first 19th-century artists to approach modern-life subjects, he was a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism....
, with combinations of fluid brushwork, thick impasto
Impasto
In English, the borrowed Italian word impasto most commonly refers to a technique used in painting, where paint is laid on an area of the surface very thickly, usually thickly enough that the brush or painting-knife strokes are visible. Paint can also be mixed right on the canvas...
and dark backgrounds with strong lighting. Returning to Scotland in 1912, he went on regular painting trips with friends to many parts of the country, and during the 1920s he spent several summers with Francis Cadell, another Scottish Colourist, painting in Iona
Iona
Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. It was a centre of Irish monasticism for four centuries and is today renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and a place for retreats...
.
Peploe was strongly influenced by French painting throughout his life. Although his work never became overly abstract
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
, it was notable for its use of strong colour, tight composition, and meticulous execution. He died in Edinburgh in 1935.
Peploe's 1905 painting Still Life with Coffee Pot, sold on 26 May 2011 at Christies in London for £937,250, holds the record for the most expensive Scottish painting sold at auction. The previous record for a work by Peploe was £623,650 for Tulips, sold in 2010http://www.scotsman.com/news/1m-coffee-pot-smashes-art.6775119.jp.
In fiction
A painting which might or might not be by Peploe (the question is only resolved at the end of the book) plays a central role in the novel 44 Scotland Street44 Scotland Street
44 Scotland Street is an episodic novel by Alexander McCall Smith, the author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. The story was first published as a serial in The Scotsman, starting 26 January 2004, every weekday, for six months. The book retains the 100+ short chapters of the original...
by the Scottish writer Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander "Sandy" McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE, is a Rhodesian-born Scottish writer and Emeritus Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. In the late 20th century, McCall Smith became a respected expert on medical law and bioethics and served on British and international committees...
where a grandson of the painter makes a brief appearance. A Peploe painting also plays a small role in the novel Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
Rosamunde Pilcher
Rosamunde Pilcher OBE is a British author of romance novels and mainstream women's fiction. Early in her career she was also published under the pen name Jane Fraser. Pilcher retired from writing in 2000.-Early years:...
.