Samuel John Peploe, R.S.A.

The Fine Art Society

Alex. Reid & Lefevre, Ltd., London, Three Scottish Painters Exhibition, January 1939, no.5;
The Fine Art Society, Three Scottish Colourists, February - April 1977

The canvas has been boxed to the reverse, but appears to be in good original condition, there is good impasto to the surface in parts. There is a small amount of craquelure to the red rose at the top of the composition, otherwise in generally good order with no signs of damage or restoration. there is no sign of retouching under UV light. Well presented within a gilt frame, ready to hang.
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Through his still life painting, Samuel John Peploe experimented with the manipulation of colour and form. Working in his sun drenched studio, the artist surrounded himself with potential subjects. As described by Elizabeth Cumming: ‘Flowers in season, roses following on from tulips, partner ceramic bowls or vases, set against a length of beautiful fabric (sometimes purchased from the Edinburgh furnishers Whytock & Reid), all so carefully selected, arranged and rearranged time and again before brush was ever put to canvas.’ (Elizabeth Cumming, S.J. Peploe, National Galleries of Scotland, 2012, p.69). Around 1920, these arrangements served as the subject of Peploe’s boldest compositions. This is when Peploe first began using gesso to prime his canvas to ensure vibrancy. Yet later into the 1920s, having mastered the application of pure pigment (see lot 34, Pink Roses which dates from the early 1920s, with its intense, vibrant colours), Peploe began exploring the qualities of more subtle tones by employing a greater quantity of white paint.

Red, Pink and Yellow Roses in a Blue Vase dates from the second half of the decade. Exhibiting significant developments from the earlier post-war flower paintings, the picture is a carefully constructed interplay of warm and cool tones. The entire lower half of the canvas is occupied by white, grey and blue, punctuated by an orange at the left hand edge. This is balanced by the upper portion, a harmony of zesty flowers against an indistinct, almost abstract peach background. The play of natural light here is complicated by the inclusion of a mirror in the upper left hand corner, whilst the rear glass vase refracts the edge of the drape. In order to bring volume to the subtle tones, Peploe adopted a looser handling of the paintbrush. This amounts to a more feathered texture which better describes the delicate nature of the petals and drapery. Peploe was challenging his skilfulness as a colourist painter by creating a very sophisticated and complex composition.

Paintings such as the present form an interesting parallel with the artist’s other focus during the 1920s, his landscape paintings on the Scottish island of Iona. Peploe regularly visited the Island with his friend F.C.B. Cadell, taking the opportunity to work en plein air. Though the weather often made exterior work difficult, Peploe continued to return in the summer months, turning his newly developed techniques to the rocky landscape. Cumming notes of the Iona paintings, ‘More than any other place, Iona changed how Peploe worked, giving his art new cohesion and depth.’ (Ibid, p.68). Indeed, it is evident that Peploe’s experiences at Iona fed back into his still life work, with the pale pink and grey of the rocky coastline securing a permanent place in the artist’s palette. 

Peploe found significant success with his still life paintings, both at the Royal Scottish Academy and through dealers such as Alexander Reid, who had championed the work of the colourists. The artist Stanley Cursiter said of Peploe’s flower studies: ‘It was by these stern exercises that he trained himself and acquired the rare command he ultimately obtained over his material and his method of expression.’ (Guy Peploe, S.J. Peploe, Lund Humphries, 2012, p.119). Peploe and the Colourists succeeded through experimentation, and the present work stands testament to this.