#FridayPainting: Samuel John Peploe “Pink Roses, Chinese Vase”

The first time I heard the name Samuel John Peploe was when I read Alexander Mccall Smith’s book, “44 Scotland Street: Book One in the 44 Scotland Series. The story revolves around the appearance and disappearance and re-appearance of a painting that may be a “Peploe.” Alexander Mccall Smith kept readers engaged in the chase to recover the painting.

Who was Samuel John Peploe?

Samuel John Peploe was a member of the Scottish Colourists who were active in the early twentieth century. His fellow painters included Francis Campbell Boileau Cadell, George Leslie Hunter and John Duncan Fergusson. They all spent time in France and were influenced by French artists’ bold use of colour and free brushwork.

Samuel John Peploe – Pink Roses, Chinese Vase – Google Art Project Scottish National Gallery, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

About Pink Roses, Chinese Vase

This work was painted during a time when Peploe was experimenting with using areas of bright colour in his still life paintings. Peploe had spent time studying in Paris and was influenced by contemporary French painting. He felt that every plane was to be represented by a change of colour and selected material for his still lifes which could be treated in flat areas of strong colour: lemons, oranges, roses, tulips, blue and white china, bowls and drapes were his main subjects. In this work the outlines are bold – some are blue or dark red – to emphasise the objects and their relation to one another. National Galleries Scotland

For more information on Samuel John Peploe and to view his paintings, head over to the National Galleries Scotland.

Published by Rebecca Budd

Blogger, Visual Storyteller, Podcaster, Traveler and Life-long Learner

16 thoughts on “#FridayPainting: Samuel John Peploe “Pink Roses, Chinese Vase”

    1. Resa – your gowns are exceptional – every one of them. I marvel at your creativity and design techniques. I know that Vincent would have been very pleased with your Starry Night creation. As he once wrote: “what is done with love is well done.” Hugs!!!

      Liked by 2 people

  1. This is a delightful read, and of course the art you have included is really priceless. I love the bright colors that the artist has used, brave presentations of flowers and vase. I have enjoyed the paintings that you have put on this podcast! ! MORE than once!
    The two who gave their excellent commentaries added so much to this excellent article. Very educational. Thank you for sharing am early Scottish artist! !

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I knew you would enjoy this painting and back story. The bright colours energize the room don’t they? The name “The Colourists” is a perfect description for this group of artists. Stay tuned for future posts that feature the other “Colourists.” Their bios are very interesting.

      Liked by 2 people

    1. I would never have heard of Samuel John Peploe if I hadn’t read a book. The connection between writing and art, storytelling and creativity is strong, Isn’t it? I am delighted that you enjoyed this post, Dave!

      Liked by 1 person

    1. I am delighted that you enjoyed the history and video. The Scottish National Galleries has an amazing collection of short videos that have added to my understanding of art. Over the past two years of Covid, Libraries, Art Galleries and Museums have made huge steps to provide access to information. It is heartening to see that GLAM organizations are gaining a wider audience by embracing a virtual space. I believe that open access to knowledge will be essential going forward. Exciting stuff!

      Liked by 2 people

You're welcome to join the dialogue!

Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: