Kirkcudbright, Street Corner 1917

Samuel Peploe painted this scene of Kirkcudbright, Street Corner, with oils on canvas, and it's all about the push-and-pull of color, isn’t it? Look at how Peploe has laid down these confident strokes of color to build up the forms of the buildings. It's like he’s not just painting what he sees, but how he feels about being there. Notice the thick, juicy paint, and how he lets each stroke sit next to the other. See how the blues and purples in the shadows talk to the yellows and oranges of the sunlight. The way the planes of the buildings are simplified reminds me of Cézanne, while the loose brushwork anticipates the Fauves. But there's also something so uniquely Peploe about it all. It's the work of someone who understands the joy of painting, of making a mark and letting it be. Like all great art, it asks more questions than it answers.