Evening, North Berwick 1903

Curator: The first thing that strikes me about this piece is how bright and airy it is. The way the light dances on the buildings and road gives the whole scene a lively energy. Editor: Indeed! This is Samuel Peploe’s "Evening, North Berwick," created around 1903. He’s working with oil on canvas to capture a coastal scene in Scotland. Notice the visible brushstrokes; it screams impressionistic technique. Curator: Absolutely. I’m drawn to how Peploe simplifies forms. The houses aren't depicted with precise detail, but instead with broad strokes of color, which helps to flatten the perspective, highlighting the materiality of the paint itself. The layering and impasto create this textured surface. Editor: The simplification definitely reflects an interest in the broader social and artistic movements of the time. As a member of the Scottish Colourists, Peploe and his contemporaries challenged the dominance of academic painting, aligning with the burgeoning modern art scene in Europe, while engaging with uniquely Scottish themes. Curator: And you can see that through the focus on everyday scenes. This isn’t some grand historical subject; it’s life in a small town rendered in all its humdrum beauty. It invites the viewer to look at ordinary labour as a kind of art itself. Editor: Exactly! And it speaks to the growing accessibility of art during this period. Exhibitions in smaller galleries, increasing art publications and a changing market opened doors for artists like Peploe to find a wider audience. The painting acts almost as a document of its time, reflective of a Scotland negotiating tradition and modernity. Curator: Thinking about its making, there is such visible construction in each brushstroke, it is refreshing to see how painting for Peploe was about direct contact with material. Editor: It offers an important window into not just a scene but the sociopolitical values that were taking hold at the time in artistic production and consumption. Curator: For me, this experience is all about thinking with materials and reflecting about what it tells about people, and I think the painting does a lovely job capturing it. Editor: A reminder of the ever-shifting and vibrant artistic landscape of the early 20th century! Thank you.