© Philippe Halsman
"There is an island cast somewhere on the other side of the world, and, in a way art is the signal, the watchword for finding like-minded people."
Jean Cocteau resists classification. While he considered himself a poet, his genius expressed itself through writing, visual arts, theater, and film, creating surreal worlds that captivate his audiences. Cocteau participated in avant-garde circles when modernism emerged with Pablo Picasso, Tristan Tzara, Francis Picabia, Man Ray, and many others. He often drew his friends and acquaintances in a fluid and distinctive style, influenced by cubism, psychoanalysis, and Catholicism.