Stormy Weather, Iona 1929

"Stormy Weather, Iona" by Samuel Peploe is most likely an oil painting, given the glorious thickness of that paint! You can almost feel the wind and spray as Peploe battled the elements, squinting at the scene. The painting feels urgent and immediate. I can imagine him trying to capture the light, the movement, the sheer energy of the moment. Look at those strokes of white, slashing across the surface, describing the crests of the waves, the crashing foam. And the blues – deep, moody, almost vibrating. The artist may have wanted to show the raw power of nature, but he wasn’t afraid to get stuck in, wrestling with the materiality of the paint itself. Peploe's conversation with the Scottish Colourists, and the French Impressionists is plain to see in his process of mark-making and use of colour. It's a reminder that painting isn't just about representation, but a full-bodied encounter with the world.