Serpent de mer 1955

René Duvillier made Serpent de mer from probably ink or watercolour, sometime in the mid twentieth century. Look at the way the purple paint soaks into the white ground. It is thin, translucent, and moves like water. Here the artist has pulled a line across the page, with these bulbous forms balancing above and below it. You can see how the colour pools in some areas, while in others it's barely there, like a whisper. And look at those dark, almost black accents, like the serpent's eyes – or are they knots? There's a real sense of play and improvisation here. This reminds me of Henri Michaux's ink drawings. Both artists share a kind of gestural freedom, an embrace of the accidental. I love how Duvillier lets the ink do its thing, creating a fluid, dreamlike image that invites you to get lost in its curves and shadows. Artmaking is a process, and this piece captures a moment of spontaneous creation.