Royan, Charente Inférieure 1910

Samuel Peploe painted this scene in Royan, France, using oils on canvas, and the first thing you notice is the light. The whole painting is built up from small, rapid brushstrokes. It feels like the paint was applied quickly, intuitively, as if Peploe was chasing the light and atmosphere. The texture in this painting is really something. The brushstrokes are laid on thick, creating a tangible surface. The color palette is constrained but vibrant, with cool blues and whites dominating, contrasted by pops of red in the buildings and warm yellows in the sky. Look at the way he's used small dashes of pure color to construct the figures walking down the street. A few strokes suggest the folds of their robes and the way they move through space. Peploe’s approach reminds me of Vuillard, an artist similarly interested in capturing fleeting moments with a rich, textured surface. I think art's often about embracing ambiguity, and trusting in the process, and this painting is a great example of that.