Paysage au serpent (Landscape with Snake)

Surrealists such as André Masson believed that reality could be grasped only by unlocking the secrets of the subconscious mind, where prior knowledge that influences emotions and actions is stored. His pioneering technique, known as automatic painting, emphasized spontaneity, thereby allowing subconscious thoughts to emerge during the creative process. Masson worked rapidly when painting Landscape with Snake, applying gestural brushstrokes over a tan background and gouging through wet paint with a pencil. While forms occasionally coalesce to suggest a snake, a bird, or water flowing through a forest, the true subject is the dynamic process of painting.