Cocteau, Jean

Jean Cocteau was an artistic multi-talent in many fields. The Frenchman made a name for himself as a draftsman, graphic artist, poet, and also as a dramaturge and film director. He wrote poems and novels, conceived plays, stage sets and later also began to design houses and chapels. His wall and ceiling paintings in the Menton Town Hall and Notre Dame de France in London caused quite a stir. As a result of his successes, he was appointed to the Académie Francaise as a young artist.
 

Cocteau's oeuvre is often characterized by melancholy poetry. In addition, he was increasingly concerned with the unreal and also with myths. His surrealist poetry had an influence on many other artists of different genres. At the age of 34 he published his first illustrated book. The lines of his drawings are reminiscent of the dynamics of calligraphy. His sketchy style vividly ensnares figurative scenarios. He likes to envelop the contours of objects with a single sweeping line.
 

Even though he enjoyed success in many artistic fields, he continuously devoted himself to printmaking. His oeuvre includes numerous designs that impress with their emphasis on contour and simplicity in linearity with expression. Artfully he transformed many of his sketches into expressive lithographs. Today his works can be admired in Menton in the south of France, where the old bastion of the French architect Rudy Ricciotti was converted into a remarkable museum, which today maintains an extensive collection of Cocteau's works.