A surrealist still life by French artist Pierre Roy, "Andromède prisonnière" features a collection of disparate objects arranged on a beach, creating a dreamlike and unsettling atmosphere.

Pierre Roy (1880-1950) was a French Surrealist painter known for his meticulously rendered, enigmatic still lifes. Although he was largely self-taught, his work gained recognition in the 1920s, aligning him with the Surrealist movement, despite his somewhat detached position from its core members. His paintings often feature unexpected juxtapositions of objects in dreamlike settings, creating a sense of mystery and unease. In "Andromède prisonnière", Roy presents a collection of disparate objects arranged on a beach. A large, pale onion bulb dominates the centre, its smooth surface contrasting with the rough texture of the surrounding rocks and sand. A feather, secured to a bamboo-like pole with a blue ribbon, rises above the onion. An octopus, or its tentacles, rests against a stone, adding to the strange, unsettling atmosphere. The background features a calm sea and a clear sky, typical of Roy's precise, almost photographic style. The composition is carefully balanced, with each element contributing to the overall sense of surreal stillness.