Still Life with a Jug and a Bowl of Apples 1924

Samuel Peploe made this painting with oil on canvas, probably, and you can see he’s feeling his way through the composition. I’m drawn to the white jug, not just because of its placement, but because of the way he’s built up the form with distinct strokes. Look how Peploe models the volume of the jug using subtle tonal variations of white. The paint is applied with such directness, like he’s wrestling with the subject, trying to pin it down. There's this wonderful balance between capturing the essence of the objects and letting the materiality of the paint itself take center stage. The brushstrokes are visible, alive. You can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the canvas. There’s a real sense of joy in the process. Peploe reminds me of Morandi, both so dedicated to still life. But where Morandi is all quiet, dusty light, Peploe’s got this bright, almost brash energy. Art’s not about answers, right? It's about keeping the conversation going.