Still life with pears and wineglass by Samuel Peploe
Still Life with Coffee Pot by Samuel Peploe
Still Life, Painter's Materials by Samuel Peploe
Spring, Comrie by Samuel Peploe
Barra by Samuel Peploe
Barra by Samuel Peploe
Cottage at Corstorphine by Samuel Peploe
A Street, Comrie by Samuel Peploe
Barra by Samuel Peploe
Comrie, Perthshire by Samuel Peploe
Farmyard by Samuel Peploe
The Cart, Comrie, Perthshire by Samuel Peploe
1871–1935 · British

Samuel Peploe

Peploe left school at fourteen to train as a lawyer, then abandoned the law for art. He studied at the Royal Scottish Academy schools in Edinburgh, then at the Academie Julian and the Academie Colarossi in Paris. His first solo show, at Aitken and Dott in Edinburgh in 1903, sold nineteen paintings. His second show, in 1909, adopted a new style that did not please the dealers. He was persuaded to go back.

Held in 31 museums[1]

Portrait of Samuel Peploe

Biography

He is one of four painters grouped as the Scottish Colourists, alongside Cadell, Fergusson and Hunter. The label was not applied until 1948, after three of the four were dead. They showed together only three times while all were alive: London in 1923 and 1925, Paris in 1931. The term suggests a movement. It was more of a friendship.

In 1910 he moved to Paris and concentrated on still life, absorbing the colour of Matisse and Cezanne. The palette lightened. The brushwork loosened. When he returned to Edinburgh, Francis Cadell introduced him to Iona in 1920, and the two painted there most summers until 1933. Peploe had been looking for the intensity of French light in a Scottish context. On Iona he found it: clear Atlantic light falling on white sand and turquoise water against dark rocks.

The still lifes and the Iona landscapes are his best work. They are built from colour rather than drawn in line, which is the Colourist principle reduced to its essentials. He died in Edinburgh in 1935, aged sixty-four. His paintings now sell at auction for sums that would have alarmed the dealers who told him to change his style in 1909.

Timeline

  1. 1904Painted "Roses in a Blue and White Vase, Black Background" aged 33.
  2. 1906Painted "Game of Tennis, Luxembourg Gardens" aged 35.
  3. 1916Painted "A Still Life of Roses, Oranges and Lemon" aged 45.
  4. 1917Painted "Still Life with Benedictine Bottle and Fruit" aged 46.
  5. 1924Painted "Still Life. Apples and a White Rose in an Oriental Vase" aged 53.
  6. 1929Painted "Still Life with a Bowl of Fruit, Bottle, Cup and Glass" aged 58.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • How did samuel peploe die?
    Samuel Peploe died in 1935 at the age of 64.
  • What is Samuel Peploe's most famous work?
    Although it is difficult to identify a single "most famous" work, Samuel Peploe is best known for his still-life paintings and his Scottish Colourist depictions of Iona. Peploe's still-life works often feature arrangements of fruit, flowers, and vases, characterised by bold colour and simplified forms. These paintings demonstrate his interest in the formal qualities of painting, such as colour, composition, and texture. Examples include Still Life with Roses and Fruit (1915) and Still Life with Coffee Pot (circa 1910). His landscapes of Iona, a small island in the Inner Hebrides, are also highly regarded. From about 1900, Peploe made regular painting trips to Iona with his friend and fellow artist, Francis Cadell. These paintings capture the unique light and atmosphere of the island, and they often feature views of the coastline, beaches, and hills. Iona from the North-West (1920-1928) is a typical example. Peploe's work is celebrated for its use of colour and its contribution to the development of modern art in Scotland. His paintings are held in major public and private collections, and they continue to be admired for their beauty and originality.
  • What should I know about Samuel Peploe's prints?
    Samuel Peploe was a Scottish Colourist painter, and prints were not a major part of his output. However, some information about fine-art printmaking may still be useful. Printmakers often limit the number of prints in an edition. This decision is up to the artist, not a requirement of the medium. The number of prints that can come from a woodblock is not limited by the block itself, if properly cared for. Thomas Bewick's wood engraving of Newcastle was printed 900,000 times. An edition can be 'open' or 'limited'. Standard practice is to write the edition number as a fraction on the bottom left margin of the print. The print number appears above the edition size. The print's title is in the centre, and the artist's signature is on the right. Many artists sign and number their prints in pencil. Some artists also set aside a percentage of the edition as artist's proofs, marked 'AP'.
  • What style or movement did Samuel Peploe belong to?
    Samuel Peploe (1871-1935) is best known as one of the Scottish Colourists. This group, which also included John Duncan Fergusson, George Leslie Hunter, and Francis Cadell, is noted for its Post-Impressionist style. Peploe's early work showed the influence of artists such as James McNeill Whistler. However, a move to France in 1910 had a great effect on his artistic direction. There, he encountered the work of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. He was especially interested in painters like Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, and Henri Matisse. The Scottish Colourists, inspired by French painting, used colour as a primary element in their compositions. Peploe’s paintings often feature still lifes, especially flowers, and scenes of Iona and the Scottish coast. His style is characterised by bold brushstrokes and a strong sense of light. Although the Colourists were not formally aligned as a group, their shared aesthetic and exhibitions cemented their place in the history of Scottish art. They brought modern art ideas to Scotland, changing the direction of painting there.
  • What techniques or materials did Samuel Peploe use?
    Samuel Peploe, a Scottish Colourist, is known for his still lifes and landscapes. He favoured oil paint, applying it in a style that evolved over his career. Early works show an interest in tonal painting, with colours carefully modulated to create form and depth. He often used thick impasto, building up layers of paint on the canvas to add texture. This is evident in paintings such as "Rocks, Iona". Later, Peploe adopted a bolder, more simplified approach. His palette became brighter, influenced by French Post-Impressionism. He began to use flatter areas of colour, with less blending and more emphasis on the juxtaposition of hues. This is particularly noticeable in his still life paintings of flowers and fruit, where he explored the interplay of light and colour. Throughout his career, Peploe experimented with different supports, including canvas and wooden panels. His brushwork varied from broad, sweeping strokes to more controlled, precise touches, depending on the subject and the effect he wished to achieve.
  • What was Samuel Peploe known for?
    Samuel Peploe was a Scottish painter, and a figure in the Scottish art scene. He is associated with Fauvism, a short-lived but influential early 20th-century art movement. Fauvism arose around 1905; the name came from a critic who called the artists les fauves, or 'wild beasts', due to their use of simplified forms and bold, often unnatural colours. Peploe appears as a figure in J.D. Fergusson's 1905 painting *Dieppe, 14 July 1905: Night*. By 1907, Fergusson had moved to Paris and adopted the Fauvist style. The Fauves, including Henri Matisse and André Derain, employed colour outside its normal context. They used colour as their main resource, often applying it in flat tints. The goal was to separate colour from the subjects being represented, distinguishing them from traditional movements.
  • When was samuel john peploe born?
    Samuel Peploe was born in 1871 in United Kingdom. Samuel Peploe died in 1935, aged 64.
  • Where can I see Samuel Peploe's work?
    Samuel Peploe's paintings are held in many public and private collections. Major holdings of his work are in Scottish galleries. The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh has a representative collection. The Hunterian Art Gallery at the University of Glasgow also owns a number of his paintings, drawings, and prints. Another significant collection is held by the Kirkcaldy Galleries in Fife. Outside Scotland, The Tate in London has several paintings by Peploe. These include still lifes and landscapes. The Ulster Museum in Belfast also holds examples of his work. Many other regional museums and galleries throughout the UK occasionally display Peploe's paintings. Check the Art UK website; it is a useful resource for locating artworks in public collections. Major auction houses, such as Christie's and Sotheby's, periodically offer his paintings for sale, providing opportunities for viewing, though not in a museum setting.
  • Where was Samuel Peploe from?
    Samuel John Peploe (1871-1935) was a Scottish Colourist painter, born in Edinburgh. His parents were Robert Luff Peploe, a lawyer, and Anna Peploe (née Service). Peploe studied at the Edinburgh College of Art; later, he attended the Académie Julian in Paris. During his formative period, he was influenced by French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Regular trips to France, particularly to Paris and Brittany, exposed him to contemporary artistic movements. He, along with J. D. Fergusson, F. C. B. Cadell, and G. L. Hunter, became known as the Scottish Colourists. Peploe's work often featured still life subjects, interior scenes, and depictions of Iona and the Scottish Hebrides. His style is characterised by bold use of colour and simplified forms. He aimed to capture the essence of his subjects through careful observation and expressive brushwork. Peploe's artistic output contributed significantly to the development of modern Scottish painting. He died in Edinburgh in 1935.
  • Who did Samuel Peploe influence?
    Samuel Peploe's artistic reach extended to several painters, directly or indirectly. James Dickson Innes, who attended the Slade, adopted bolder and brighter colours in his work after seeing Matisse's paintings in Paris around 1910, and Augustus John's Provençal studies at the Chenil Gallery in 1911. Innes's short, choppy brushstrokes were adapted from Lucien Pissarro's Neo-Impressionist technique. John Duncan Fergusson, who settled in Paris in 1907, initially emulated Whistler, but soon assimilated the influence of the Fauves. A fireworks painting exhibited at the Whistler Memorial Exhibition in London and Paris in 1905, was probably the inspiration for Fergusson's Dieppe, 14 July 1905; Night. The brighter touches of colour were characteristic of many Scottish painters whom Whistler influenced. Peploe is actually included in this painting. These painters owed a debt to French artists, most notably Cézanne.
  • Who influenced Samuel Peploe?
    Samuel Peploe, a Scottish Colourist, absorbed a range of influences that shaped his artistic style. Early on, he was drawn to the work of French Realist painters such as Gustave Courbet, whose emphasis on depicting everyday subjects appealed to Peploe's own inclinations. Later, Peploe encountered Impressionism, and he adopted its techniques for capturing light and atmosphere. The Impressionists' broken brushstrokes and interest in fleeting moments are evident in Peploe's paintings. He was particularly interested in Édouard Manet. Post-Impressionism also had a significant effect. The bold colours and simplified forms of artists like Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cézanne inspired Peploe to experiment with his own palette and compositions. Cézanne's treatment of form, in particular, had a lasting impact, visible in Peploe's still lifes and treatment of volume. These diverse sources contributed to the formation of Peploe's distinctive artistic vision.
  • Who was Samuel Peploe?
    Samuel Peploe (active early 20th century) was a Scottish painter. He appears as a figure in J. D. Fergusson's 1905 painting *Dieppe, 14 July 1905: Night*. Fergusson, also a Scottish artist, studied to be a naval surgeon. However, in 1894 he decided to devote himself to art. From 1898 to 1907, he spent time in France, Spain, and Morocco, eventually settling in Paris. He taught at the École de la Palette and the Atelier Blanche. In 1911, he helped launch *Rhythm*, and in 1914, he returned to London, making painting trips to Scotland. Fergusson's painting *Dieppe, 14 July 1905: Night* was likely inspired by a fireworks painting exhibited at the Whistler Memorial Exhibition in London and Paris in 1905. The figure in grey to the right of the left-hand group in the painting is Peploe.

Sources

Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Samuel Peploe.

  1. [1] museum Art Gallery of South Australia Used for: museum holdings.
  2. [2] book Beard, Lee, 1973- author, Butler, Adam, author; Van Cleave, Claire, author; Fortenberry, Diane, author; Stirling, Susan, author, Beard, Lee, 1973- author, Butler, Adam, author; Van Cleave, Claire, author; Fortenberry, Diane, author; Stirling, Susan, author - The Art Book_ New Edition, Mini Format Used for: biography.
  3. [3] book Post-impressionism : cross-currents in European painting Used for: biography.
  4. [4] book Post-impressionism : cross-currents in European painting Used for: biography.

Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-06-24. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.

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