Paris Plage 

Editor: This is "Paris Plage," an oil painting by Samuel Peploe. I’m struck by the overall coolness of the colors, all those blues and whites. It gives it a very crisp, airy feeling. What do you see in this piece? Curator: For me, this painting highlights the shifting role of the public sphere at the turn of the century. Paris Plage, the artificial beach on the Seine, was created as a space for leisure and recreation for all Parisians. Peploe captures this democratisation of leisure beautifully, but with an interesting detachment. Editor: Detachment? How so? Curator: Look at the faceless figures, almost blobs of paint. Peploe isn’t idealizing anyone; he’s documenting a social phenomenon. He acknowledges the beach's designed purpose and the kind of new society it engendered, and its inherent constructedness. In a way, his artistic process – applying paint in dabs – is not unlike the artificial construction of this space on the Seine. Editor: So you're saying it's a commentary on fabricated leisure? Is it cynical? Curator: Not cynical, precisely. More…observational. Remember, Impressionism itself was a product of these new urban spaces and leisure activities. Artists became observers of modern life, reflecting the spectacle unfolding around them. What do you think of Peploe’s brushwork and composition in relation to that? Editor: That makes sense. I hadn’t considered the deliberate-ness. Now that you mention it, I am really taking note of those strokes! I always considered Impressionism quite romantic. It is helping to look more broadly at what I understand about society influencing these pieces. Curator: Exactly. Art doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and looking at its historical and cultural context enriches our understanding immensely.