Samuel John Peploe R.S.A. (1871-1935)
The Harbour, Cassis
Oil on panel
Signed
13 x 16 ins (33 x 40.6 cms)
c.1913
Provenance
The Conservative Club, Glasgow
With The Fine Art Society, Edinburgh, 1974
Private collection, Scotland
Private collection, UK
In 1913 Peploe made his first trip with his family to the Cote d'Azur, meeting with Fergusson and Anne Estelle Rice in Cassis, then a quiet fishing village. Peploe instantly fell for the charm of the picturesque harbour town later returning with Cadell in 1924 and alone in 1928.
At the time of this work Peploe, along with Fergusson, had begun to paint in a more formalised manner, imposing the energetic linearity of the Paris work onto the organised colours of land and shadows. In 'The Harbour, Cassis' Peploe uses shadows made up of green, turquoise, grey and orange. The stone of the breakwater and harbour wall are white and shadowed with green. The depth of the diagonal wall is a deep, ultramarine blue. Peploe consciously creates mood through the subtle power of his colour and in doing so captures the very essence of this Provencal town.