Samuel John Peploe (pronounced PEP-low; 27 January 1871 – 11 October 1935) was a Scottish

Post-Impressionist Post-Impressionism (also spelled Postimpressionism) was a predominantly French art movement that developed roughly between 1886 and 1905, from the last Impressionist exhibition to the birth of Fauvism. Post-Impressionism emerged as a reaction a ...

painter, noted for his

still life A still life (: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, human-m ...

works and for being one of the group of four painters that became known as the

Scottish Colourists The Scottish Colourists were a group of four painters, three from Edinburgh, whose Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist work, though not universally recognised initially, came to have a formative influence on contemporary Scottish art and cultur ...

. The other colourists were

John Duncan Fergusson John Duncan Fergusson (9 March 1874 – 30 January 1961) was a Scottish artist and sculptor, regarded as one of the major artists of the Scottish Colourists school of painting. Early life Fergusson was born in Leith, Edinburgh, the first ...

, Francis Cadell and

Leslie Hunter George Leslie Hunter (7 August 1877 – 7 December 1931) was a Scottish painter, regarded as one of the four artists of the Scottish Colourists group of painters. Christened simply George Hunter, he adopted the name Leslie in San Francisco, a ...

Biography

Born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

at 39 Manor Place, he was the son of a bank manager, Robert Luff Peploe (1828–1884). He left school at 14 and was initially apprenticed as a trainee lawyer to Scott, Bruce and Glover WS at 1 Hill Street in Edinburgh. Around 1889 he began studying art at the Trustees Academy in Edinburgh. Peploe studied at the

Royal Scottish Academy The Royal Scottish Academy (RSA) is the country's national academy of art. It promotes contemporary art, contemporary Scottish art. The Academy was founded in 1826 by eleven artists meeting in Edinburgh. Originally named the Scottish Academy ...

schools from 1893 to 1894, and then at the

Académie Julian The () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907). The school was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number and qual ...

and

Académie Colarossi The Académie Colarossi (1870–1930) was an art school in Paris founded in 1870 by the Italian model and sculptor Filippo Colarossi. It was originally located on the Île de la Cité, and it moved in 1879 to 10 rue de la Grande-Chaumière in the ...

in Paris, where he shared a room with the Scottish painter

Robert Brough Robert John Cameron Brough ARSA (20 March 1872 – 21 January 1905) was a Scottish painter born near Invergordon, Ross and Cromarty. Life He was born on 20 March 1872. at Garty Cottage, Kilmuir Easter, near Invergordon. His mother was Helen ...

. He visited the Netherlands in 1895, returning with reproductions of work by

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

and

Frans Hals Frans Hals the Elder (, ; ; – 26 August 1666) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He lived and worked in Haarlem, a city in which the local authority of the day frowned on religious painting in places of worship but citizens liked to decorate thei ...

. From 1901, he undertook painting trips to northern France and the

Hebrides The Hebrides ( ; , ; ) are the largest archipelago in the United Kingdom, off the west coast of the Scotland, Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Ou ...

with his friend J.D. Fergusson, another of the Scottish Colourists. Inspired by the bright sunlight, he experimented with the bold use of colour, and the influence of the rustic realism of French painters is evident in his landscapes. Peploe was the first of the Scottish Colourists to have a one-man-show: in 1903 at Aitken & Dott in Edinburgh, at which he sold 19 paintings. Alexander Reid sold Peploe's first work to America in 1905 - to Charles Kurtz of the Albright Art Gallery in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

. At his second exhibition in the Scottish Gallery in 1909 Peploe adopted a new style which did not please the dealers, with all sixty paintings were bought by McOmish Dott of Aitken Dott for a total of £450. The dealer George Proudfoot offered only £50 for 22 canvasses. Peploe was persuaded by his dealers to revert to his original style. In 1910, Peploe married Margaret MacKay (1873–1958), whom he had known since 1894. He also moved to Paris in 1910, a period which saw him concentrate increasingly on still life and landscape painting. His still-life works show the influence of Manet, with combinations of fluid brushwork, thick

impasto Impasto is a technique used in painting, where paint is laid on an area of the surface thickly, usually thick enough that the brush or painting-knife strokes are visible. Paint can also be mixed right on the canvas. When dry, impasto provides tex ...

and dark backgrounds with strong lighting. Returning to Scotland in 1912 he found that his usual dealer refused his work and Peploe was obliged to stage his own exhibition.Biography and works at Portland Gallery
, accessed December 2012 In 1913 he was back in France with his wife and young son, painting with J.D. Fergusson and

Anne Estelle Rice Anne Estelle Rice (1877–1959) was an American artist who was one of the chief illustrators for the British periodical ''Rhythm'', edited by John Middleton Murry and Michael Sadleir from 1911 to 1913. She established a close relationship with Ka ...

Cassis Cassis (; Occitan: ''Cassís'') is a commune situated east of Marseille in the department of Bouches-du-Rhône in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, whose coastline is known in English as the French Riviera, in Southern France. It is a ...

during the summer. After his return to Scotland on the outbreak of war, Peploe went on regular painting trips with friends to many parts of the country, and during the 1920s he spent several summers with Francis Cadell, another Scottish Colourist, painting in

Iona Iona (; , sometimes simply ''Ì'') is an island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though there are other buildings on the island. Iona Abbey was a centre of Gaeli ...

. Not until December 1915 did Peploe have his second one-man-show: organised by the dealer Alexander Reid at his St Vincent Street Gallery in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. However, only two paintings sold: "Town in Brittany" to John Blyth for £12, and "Roses, Black Background" bought by William McInnes for £40. Reid urged Blyth to start investing in Peploe, which he did: buying 85 works between 1915 and 1962. In July 1926

William Burrell Sir William Burrell (9 July 1861 – 29 March 1958) was one of the world's great art collectors. He and his wife Constance, Lady Burrell (1875–1961), created a collection of over 8,000 artworks which they gave to their home city of Glasgow, ...

bought "Still Life with Roses" for £70 and "Cafe and Liquer" for £98, each from McNeill Reid at a small profit to Reid of around 6%. Also in 1926, Robert Wemyss Honeyman of

Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; ; ) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, making it Fife's second-largest s ...

began to collect Peploes, beginning with an Iona seascape for only £20.Alexander Reid in Context, Frances Fowle,_vol.1 Peploe was strongly influenced by French painting throughout his life. Although his work never became overly abstract, it was notable for its use of strong colour, tight composition, and meticulous execution. Influences are said to include de Segonzac, Cézanne,

Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...

and

Van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. In just over a decade, he created approximately 2,100 artwork ...

. He died in Edinburgh in 1935. Peploe's younger son

Denis Denis may refer to: People * Saint Denis of Paris, 3rd-century Christian martyr and first bishop of Paris * Denis the Areopagite, Biblical figure * Denis, Bishop of Győr (13th century), Hungarian prelate * Denis, son of Ampud (died 1236), bar ...

followed his father's career. Peploe is buried in the family plot in

Dean Cemetery The Dean Cemetery is a historically important Victorian cemetery north of the Dean Village, west of Edinburgh city centre, in Scotland. It lies between Queensferry Road and the Water of Leith, bounded on its east side by Dean Path and o ...

in Edinburgh. His name is listed near the end of several names on a stone to the north side of the main east–west path, towards the west end.

Legacy

Peploe's 1905 painting ''Still Life with Coffee Pot'', sold on 26 May 2011 at

Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie (auctioneer), James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Geneva, Shan ...

in London for £937,250, is one of the most expensive Scottish paintings sold at auction. The previous record for a work by Peploe was £623,650 for ''Tulips'', sold in 2010.£1m coffee pot smashes art record
Scotsman.com, 26 May 2011, accessed December 2012 In October 2012, the Peploe painting ''Pink Roses'' sold for £225,000. The painting had been relegated to a spare room because the owner's wife did not like it.

Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery Kirkcaldy Galleries is the main museum, library and exhibition space in Kirkcaldy in Fife, Scotland. The land for the town's museum and art gallery was donated by John Nairn (the grandson of the linoleum manufacturer, Michael Nairn) on the forme ...

holds the largest collection of Peploe's paintings aside from the

National Galleries of Scotland The National Galleries of Scotland (, sometimes also known as National Galleries Scotland) is the executive non-departmental public body that controls the three national galleries of Scotland and two partner galleries, forming one of the Nation ...

In fiction

A painting which might or might not be by Peploe (the question is only resolved at the end of the book) plays a central role in the novel ''

44 Scotland Street ''44 Scotland Street'' is an episodic novel by Alexander McCall Smith, the author of '' The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency''. The story was first published as a serial in ''The Scotsman'', starting 26 January 2004, every weekday, for six month ...

'' by the Scottish writer

Alexander McCall Smith Sir Alexander "Sandy" McCall Smith (born 24 August 1948) is a Scottish legal scholar and author of fiction. He was raised in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and was formerly Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He became an ...

where a grandson of the painter makes a brief appearance. A Peploe painting also plays a small role in the novel ''Winter Solstice'' by

Rosamunde Pilcher Rosamunde Pilcher, OBE (''née'' Scott; 22 September 1924 – 6 February 2019) was a British novelist, best known for her sweeping novels set in Cornwall. Her books have sold over 60 million copies worldwide. Early in her career she was publis ...

. A Peploe painting is mentioned as an item for sale by an auction house in ''The Quaker'' by Liam McIlvanney.

References

External links

*
Works in the Aberdeen Art Gallery

''Exhibition of paintings by S.J. Peploe''
an exhibition catalog available from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries, containing information on the artist. {{DEFAULTSORT:Peploe, Samuel 1871 births 1935 deaths 19th-century Scottish painters 20th-century Scottish painters 19th-century Scottish male artists 20th-century Scottish male artists Académie Colarossi alumni Académie Julian alumni British modern painters Painters from Edinburgh Royal Scottish Academicians Scottish Colourists Scottish male painters Society of Eight