On the Seine 1907

Samuel Peploe made this painting of the Seine with oil on canvas, and it's all about the joy of seeing, right? I mean, look at that paint! It's thick, juicy, laid on with a confident hand. You can almost feel the breeze off the river, the dampness in the air. The blues and grays create this dreamy atmosphere, but then BAM! A slash of red on one of the boats jolts you awake. It's like a little firecracker in the middle of a foggy day. And that bridge, those boats – they’re not about being precise. It’s about the feeling of being there, of capturing a moment. It’s impressionistic but also kind of raw. There’s a scrappiness to it that I really dig. It reminds me a little of some of the Fauvist painters, like Derain, who were also playing with color and form in really exciting ways. It's all part of the ongoing conversation that is art.