Still Life with Pears and Grapes 

Samuel Peploe made this oil painting, Still Life with Pears and Grapes, in the early 20th century. This was a time when artists were exploring new ways to represent the world, moving away from traditional academic styles. Peploe, a Scottish Colourist, was part of a group that found inspiration in the vibrant colours and bold brushstrokes of French Impressionism. Notice how the thick, visible brushstrokes create texture and capture light. Still life, a genre focused on inanimate objects, provided a safe space for artists to explore these modern ideas about form and colour without making overt social statements. During this period, institutions like art schools and galleries played a crucial role in shaping artistic tastes and providing venues for artists to exhibit their work. Peploe’s art reflects a changing society, one where artists felt freer to experiment with new ways of seeing and representing the world. To understand Peploe's art more deeply, we can consult exhibition catalogs, period art criticism, and biographical studies. These resources help us to understand the artistic and social context in which he worked and how his art fits into the broader history of modernism.