Berwick 1903

Samuel Peploe made this oil painting called Berwick, and look at that, it's like he's just dabbing the paint on, all these little pats of color, building up the scene. I love how Peploe uses such a restrained palette, mostly greens, blues, and creams, but then BAM, a spot of red to pull your eye around. It feels so intuitive, like he's letting the painting guide him. Check out the lower left, near that figure in red. The paint is thick, you can almost see the individual strokes, and they're not trying to hide anything. It's like the process is part of the story here. The texture alone makes me want to reach out and touch it. It reminds me a bit of Vuillard, that same sense of intimate observation, but with a more grounded, material presence. For me, the painting is all about how we see and feel the world, and how those things are related. Art is such a beautiful open conversation, isn't it?