SAMUEL JOHN PEPLOE R.S.A. (SCOTTISH 1871-1935) ◆
LUXEMBOURG GARDENS, PARIS
£42,701
Scottish Paintings & Sculpture
Auction: Evening Session | 7th December 2023 at 18:00
Description
Signed, oil on board
Dimensions
26cm x 21cm (10.25in x 8.25in)
Provenance
Provenance:
The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh, where purchased by Ion R. Harrison and thence by descent to the present owner
Exhibited:
The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh, Paintings and Drawings by S. J. Peploe RSA, 18 August - 13 September 1947, no.68 (as 'Paris')
McLellan Galleries, Glasgow, Pictures from a Private Collection, 2 - 27 March 1951, no.15 (as 'Luxembourg Gardens with Figure')
Footnote
Luxembourg Gardens, Paris reveals Peploe’s love of the French capital, which began as a student attending the Académie Julian in the 1890s, continued whilst a resident between 1910 and 1912 and was the location of inter-war group exhibitions which resulted in the acquisition of the paintings Paysage – Iona and La Forêt for the French national collection in 1924 and 1931.
As Frances Fowle has explained: ‘Peploe had a lifelong love of France…we can tell from Peploe’s letters that in his own mind he associated France and the French with creativity, openness and flair…Peploe firmly believed that France somehow unlocked the creative, expressive side of his temperament. Above all, he adored Paris.’ (Frances Fowle, ‘Peploe in France: A Suitable Milieu’ in Alice Strang et al, S. J. Peploe, National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, 2012, p.43)
This image of Paris’s celebrated Jardin du Luxembourg encapsulates the affection Peploe felt for the city, its chic citizens, sophisticated lifestyle and outstanding beauty. In a sun-dappled leisurely scene, an elegant lady is observed strolling along a path, surrounded by trees and carefully cultivated plants. The free application of paint, by way of a thickly-loaded brush, expresses areas of indicative form, shadow and perspective. A palette of mainly unmixed colours is based on tones of green and brown, with highlights of colour used to pick out the flowers and to provide structure when used in single, defining brushstrokes.
Luxembourg Gardens, Paris is painted on an intimate scale, on a board which was easy to transport and to use whilst working en plein air. This approach allowed for an immediacy and freshness of response to subject matter which Peploe was to maintain to the end of his career. It was acquired by the celebrated collector of the Scottish Colourists’ work, the Glasgow ship-owner Ion Harrison. In 1950 he recalled ‘It was through Cadell that I first met Peploe and it was when Cadell was starting to paint a portrait of my wife that Peploe joined us at Croft House for a weekend. This was a very great privilege for us, for Peploe did not care for visiting people unless he knew them very well. It was a very happy weekend indeed and Peploe was pleased to see his pictures hanging together in their surroundings.I held him in great esteem and regarded him as a very great artist.’ (Ion Harrison, ‘As I Remember Them’ in T. J. Honeyman, Three Scottish Colourists: Peploe, Cadell, Hunter, Faber and Faber Ltd, London, 1950, p.123)