Lithograph , Arches cotton paper, dimensions: 49 x 33, signed from plate, titled from plate, limited edition, unnumbered on the work, publisher: Atelier Mourlot Paris.
(The Mourlot studio, headed by Fernand Mourlot, was a renowned studio with some of the greatest artists of the 20th century, such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. The lithograph "Les Poètes" is often mentioned in the context of catalogs of Mourlot's work.
Jean Cocteau is one of the most fascinating and versatile figures of French culture in the 20th century. Cocteau entered the world of Parisian bohemia very early. He quickly became a favorite of the salons, and his friendships with such giants as Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky and Marcel Proust had a huge impact on his work. Cocteau constantly sought new forms of expression, and his art was a collection of many worlds. He painted, designed ceramics and even created stage sets and costumes. He was a poet, graphic artist and filmmaker. He was known for his numerous love affairs with men and women. His longtime mistress was Romanov princess Nathalie Paley.
Since 1954 he has been a member of the Royal Belgian Academy, the French Academy, the German Academy, the American Academy and honorary chairman of the Cannes Film Festival.
Cocteau's work is deeply personal and often draws on his own experiences, particularly his struggle with opium addiction. As a film director, Cocteau created works that are forever etched in the history of cinema. His films are full of magic and symbolism, blurring the boundaries between worlds. "Blood of a Poet" (Le Sang d'un poète, 1930), "Orpheus" (Orphée, 1950) , "Beauty and the Beast" (La Belle et la Bête, 1946) are his most famous films. This visually stunning fairy tale is a masterpiece in which every shot resembles a painterly masterpiece, and the special effects are still awe-inspiring today.
Jean Cocteau died in 1963, just hours after the death of his longtime friend Édith Piaf. According to an anecdote, Cocteau was said to have suffered a fatal heart attack upon hearing the news of Piaf's death, saying: "Ah, Piaf is dead. I may die too." It was a symbolic end to the life of the artist, who always balanced between drama and poetry. To this day, he remains one of the most intriguing artists who proved that true art knows no divisions and flows freely between different fields.
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