Mémoire de l'Art: Style Cocteau

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When Jean Cocteau first met Picasso during World War I, he sought to impress by arriving at the artist's studio dressed as a harlequin. This anecdote reflects Cocteau's modernist spirit and his influence on 20th-century art, as Picasso later featured the harlequin in his cubist works. Cocteau's choice of costume also reveals his own complex character, an essence captured in Patrick Mauries' illustrated biography. The book is a poetic exploration of Cocteau's life, combining a brief biographical essay with illustrations of Cocteau, his friends, lovers, and artwork. While it offers little new information compared to Francis Steegmuller's classic biography, it delves into Cocteau's relationships and his obsession with fashion, albeit lacking a strong chronological narrative of his artistic evolution. The unique illustrations, including photographs of Cocteau at work and Jean Marais in a Coco Chanel costume for Oedipe Roi, poignantly reflect the artist's career—elegant, intense, and often frustrating, with an underlying desire for media attention. Although not the most comprehensive introduction to Cocteau, Mauries' work provides a distinctive perspective on a key figure in French modernism.