Over 60 paintings by Samuel Peploe (1871-1935)—the most colourful of Scottish artists—will be gathered for Kirkcudbright Galleries’ 2026 Summer Exhibition. We’re delighted that the exhibition’s curator, noted art historian Amanda Herries, has agreed to give a special lecture on the artist for TASDAG members and guests. After the lecture and lunch at the Selkirk Arms (included in the ticket), you’ll be able to view the exhibition with Amanda.
10:30-11:00 Teas & Coffees before lecture—Kirkcudbright Galleries 11:00-12:30 Lecture by Amanda Herries & questions 12:30-14:00 Lunch at the Selkirk Arms 14:00-15:00 Viewing the exhibition with Amanda
Peploe’s early career showed little trace of his artistic leanings. He left school at 14; his guardians wanted him to pursue a career in the army; he was. Peploe is one of the group of four artists known as the ‘Scottish Colourists‘. Born in Edinburgh, he studied art in Paris and lived there from 1910 to 1912. It was through painting holidays in Northern France that he was introduced to the use of bold colour, inspired by the bright sunlight. He later experienced the same intensity of light while painting on the island of Iona, off the west coast of Scotland. French painting proved to be a powerful influence for Peploe throughout his life. Although his work never became abstract, it was characterised by tight composition, strong colour and assured handling.
The Post War Textile Visionaries of Modern Art: Alistair Morton & Edinburgh Weavers, Textiles Through A Modernist Eye
Inspired by the pioneering genius of Alistair Morton, Edinburgh Weavers forged a worldwide reputation in the 20th Century for fusing modern art and textile design.
Alistair Morton, a modernist visionary, was uniquely recognised for his talent of interpreting in fabric the full quality of an artist’s handwriting. He commissioned drawings from some of the greatest modern artists for textile production and through his designer’s eye took their art to new levels. In the late 1930s his Constructivist range saw work from Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth translated into jacquard woven textiles for the top end of British Interior design. In the post war era, Morton continued to fuse modern art with textile design, keeping it in step with contemporary living. His knowledge of process, his understanding of the construction of fabric, and his obsession with the thrilling contrasts achieved by mixing different yarns cemented his reputation as an avant-garde artist and designer in his own right.
Ashley Gray is a leading specialist and curator in the key art discipline of Modern Textiles and their history, regularly invited to lecture on the subject both in the UK and the US. As a curator and archivist, he works with institutions and foundations on conservation and exhibition projects. Most recently he curated Styled by Design at Cromwell Place in London, an exhibition that celebrates the innovation of Modernist textile design.
The lure of North Africa for three 19th century Scottish artists.
Like other European and American avant-garde artists, the Glasgow Boys had a consuming interest in the mastering of light and colour. At first, the group’s work explored Realism and Naturalism as developed by French and Dutch artists. By the late 1880s, the Glasgow Boys were moving towards a more decorative approach. They began weaving their colours and brushwork in a manner almost flirting with abstract effects at times, influenced by Celtic design, the flattened forms of Japanse prints and—the subject of this lecture— the colour and exoticism of North Africa. The smell, sounds and brilliant light of the Moroccan people and animals, the dazzling white buildings and blue seas of Tangiers are reflected through the paintings of Arthur Melville, Joseph Crawhall and John Lavery.
Professor Frances Fowle is Senior Curator at the National Galleries of Scotland and Chair of Nineteenth Century Art at TheUniversity of Edinburgh. She is the author of Van Gogh’s Twin: The Scottish Art Dealer Alexander Bell and has curated numerous international exhibitions including Van Gogh in Britain:Pioneer Collectors in 2006. She was the 2002 Van Gogh Museum Visiting Fellow and is on the advisory board of the Van Gogh Worldwide Project, a digital platform for all works by Van Gogh.
William De Morgan, friend of William Morris, rediscovered the secrets of Near Eastern lustre glazes, the Martin brothers produced eccentric salt-glazed pottery, Sir Edmond Elton combined startling glazes with exotic forms and Bernard Leach married the arts of Japan and England creating a legacy still alive today.William Morris led a revolution against the products of the machine age. The first of our ‘passionate potters’, William de Morgan, was a friend of Morris who rediscovered the secrets of Near Eastern lustre glazes. In contrast, the eccentric and argumentative Martin Brothers created a range of elaborate salt glazed pots unparalleled in their imaginative breadth. Sir Edmund Elton, the ‘potter baronet’, made pots which combine startling glazes with exotic forms. And finally, Bernard Leach, the father of English studio pottery, not only married the arts of Japan and England but created a legacy that is still alive today. This lecture explores the lives of these truly passionate potters and celebrates their extraordinary and beautiful creations.
Dr Julian Richards was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1992 and has long been involved in teaching and outreach projects, lecturing widely in continuing education and researching & presenting programmes on history & archaeology for the BBC. He has just curated the new permanent ceramics gallery for Salisbury Museum. He is passionate about Stonehenge, pots and old cars.
Seeking the ‘Marvellous’: the Wonderful World of the Surrealists
One of modern art’s most extraordinary and influential movements, Surrealism was founded like a political party with a manifesto, declaring what was necessary to believe in order to become a member. Led by the French writer André Breton, the Surrealists coalesced together in their shared horror at the futility of the First World War and their fascination with Sigmund Freud’s new theories of psychoanalysis and investigation of dreams. Consciously revolutionary and deliberately shocking, the Surrealists represented the ultimate expression of youthful revolt against the values of their parents.
Joshua White
Joshua is an enthusiastic art historian and an experienced lecturer in 19th and 20th century European and American art, international contemporary art, photography, design and architecture.
Joshua was director of The London Art Course at Christie’s, a former BBC journalist and founder and presenter of The Art Channel. He has lectured for Sotheby’s Institute, The University of the Arts, The University of California, Cheung Kong Business School (China’s leading business university), Tate Modern and Tate Britain, to name but a few, as well as contributing to a plethora of television and radio programmes.
