After about 1910 Peploe turned away from portraiture and figure painting in favour of still-lifes and landscapes. By 1920 he had abandoned the impressionistic brushwork of his early years for a much tighter handling, which owes much to Cézanne. At the same time he brought an almost geometric structure to his compositions and introduced bright, acid colours. He generally painted the same motifs - flowers, fruit, fans and crockery - arranged in different combinations.