Pink roses in a blue and white vase with oranges and a jug

This painting was sold by the dealer Alexander Reid at his Glasgow gallery, La Société des Beaux-Arts, in 1920. As Guy Peploe, the artist's grandson has noted, 'from about 1914 until his death, Peploe sought to paint the perfect still life'. This example is typical of mature work of the immediate post-war period where the artist synthesised traditional composition with an exploration of the decorative. Earlier still life paintings, especially in the 1900s, had established a sense of depth through reflection of form. This is still present in the black table, but Peploe has moved towards a rich patterning of colour, seen especially in the painting of the pink roses against blue, which expresses his admiration for Matisse. Blue is used to outline not only the vase and lower right rose but also an orange. At the same time, the diagonal line of three ceramics, white liberally dabbed with blue and green, adds a handsome perspective to the composition. Uniting the two elements so perfectly shows Peploe at his creative and intellectual best.

E.C.