Luxembourg Gardens, Paris 

Samuel Peploe captured Luxembourg Gardens in Paris with oil on canvas, though the exact date remains unknown. As a Scottish Colourist, Peploe was part of a movement deeply influenced by French Impressionism. Peploe’s work often depicted landscapes and still lifes, but his Luxembourg Gardens hints at the social fabric of Parisian life. The garden itself, a public space, becomes a stage where social classes mix, and gendered expectations play out. The figures are blurred and indistinct, which perhaps reflects the anonymity and freedom that such spaces offered, particularly to women who sought respite from the confines of domestic life. The loose brushstrokes and vibrant colours create a sense of immediacy, as if we are catching a fleeting moment in time, a shared human experience against the backdrop of a changing world. This painting is not just a view of a garden; it’s a window into the evolving social dynamics of early 20th-century Paris.