Stormy Weather, Iona 1929

Samuel Peploe made this painting of a turbulent sea at Iona using oil on canvas, and what strikes me is how the brushstrokes themselves seem to mimic the energy of the water. There’s a real physicality to the paint here, thick and juicy, especially where the waves are crashing. You can almost feel the spray. The way he's used the brush, it's like he's sculpting the water, dragging the paint across the surface to create these dynamic, choppy forms. Then, in the sky, everything softens. Look how those blues and grays are blended, creating a sense of depth and distance. It reminds me a bit of Courbet, that same love for the materiality of paint. But where Courbet is all about drama, Peploe feels more intimate, more about the simple joy of capturing a moment. And that little flash of white right at the crest of the wave? That's the whole painting right there.