An exceptional piece of art by renowned 99-year-old painter Françoise Gilot, the 1985 monotype Sea Breeze is filled with intense emotions and a sense of joyful freedom. A highly expressive geometric composition, the slight curve of the boat’s sail conveys a clear sense of motion, while the colourful splatter enriching the entire picture plane evokes seaside humidity. The artwork invites all viewers to enter its immersive atmosphere full of dazzling sunlight and salty seawater. Working with diluted paint and moist pieces of ripped paper, Gilot brings the vision of the waving ocean to life. There is a visual playfulness in the way that the geometrical shapes are reflected in the large body of water. The shape of the sun, evoking the Eye of Horus, also resurfaces in the lower region of the artwork: first on the board of the boat, then among the waves which evoke the meander-pattern of ancient Greek and Roman art. Drawing on timeless visual traditions, these elements connect Sea Breeze to exquisite works of Classical culture. Considering Gilot’s fascination with Greek mythology and the influence that the time spent by the Aegean Sea had on her artistic vision, the 1985 artwork might draw upon the adventures of Odysseus or the Argonauts.