Still Life 1918

Samuel Peploe created this oil painting, "Still Life," during a period of significant change in the art world as artists began experimenting with abstraction. Peploe was one of the Scottish Colourists, a group of artists who adopted the bold colors and expressive brushwork of French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. In the early 20th century, such still lifes weren’t simply about the arrangement of objects; they were about exploring form, color, and how we perceive the everyday world. There is a tension here between the domestic comfort suggested by the fruit, and the unsettling deconstruction of perspective and form. Peploe and his contemporaries often sought to break away from traditional, academic styles, embracing a more subjective and personal mode of expression. This painting, with its dynamic composition and vibrant palette, invites us to consider how modern artists negotiated their identities in relation to both tradition and innovation. It also captures a moment in time when artists were actively redefining the very essence of painting.