Kirkcudbright, Street Corner 1917

Samuel Peploe made this oil painting of a street corner with thick brushstrokes and a light, sunny palette. You can imagine him out there with his easel, squinting at the light as it hit the buildings, mixing up those cool blues and warm yellows to capture the scene. I wonder what Peploe was thinking about when he made it? He's part of this group called the Scottish Colourists, who were really into how color could create form and space. Look at how he uses those blocks of color to build up the shapes of the buildings, it’s not about detail, it's about the overall effect. There's a real sense of movement in the brushwork, like he's trying to capture the fleeting moment. It reminds me of Cezanne, who was also obsessed with capturing the essence of a place through color and form. And that’s what painters do, isn’t it? We're always talking to each other, across time, inspiring each other. Painting is a conversation, an ongoing exploration of what it means to see and feel the world.