Serpent de mer 1955

Rene Duvillier made "Serpent de mer" on what looks like paper, and I'm guessing with ink, although it might be paint. The purple lines seem to have been laid down quickly, in one confident gesture, almost like automatic drawing. But then there are little hatch marks and darker shadows within the purple that suggest a layering, a looking, a thinking. It’s like he laid down the line to get things going, then thought better of it. I love the way that single horizontal line cuts through the whole thing, it's like a horizon, or maybe it’s trapping the sea serpent, preventing it from escaping. I wonder if he was looking at Miro, or maybe Matisse? But really, what matters is that it's not just one thing, it's alive. Just like any good painting.