Jean Cocteau (French, 1889 – 1963)

Self portrait, Le Voyageur dans les glaces (the traveller in the ice)

Executed in 1922

Inscribed and dated ‘Juillet 1922, Lavandon’ (lower right)

Indian Ink on paper

9.1/2 x 7.1/2 in. (24 x 19 cm.)

Bibiography: Jean Cocteau ‘Dessins’, Paris, 1923, Librarie Stock: Delamain, Boutelleau & Co, Paris. (The sale of this work is accompanied by the book)

This has been fully authenticated by Madame Annie Guedras and comes with confirmation of authenticity.

Condition: This has undergone recent restoration to remove the deep oxidisation. The paper has recovered remarkably, though some patches of dirt remain but it is vastly improved. It has been backed on to acid free paper and is now shown in a very deep mount on white card behind glass. In a gilded frame with black outer section and foliate painted decoration (possibly stencilled).

Jean Cocteau was an enormously prominent French artist and author widely recognized as one of the major figures of Dada and Surrealism, two key early avant-garde artistic movements. With a portfolio that spanned painting, novels, poetry, plays and films, Cocteau established himself as a leading creative force in Paris. He maintained long-term friendships with artists such as Pablo Picasso, Tristan Tzara, Francis Picabia and Man Ray. The self-taught Cocteau would regularly draw his friends and acquaintances in a distinctive, fluid style informed by his interests in Cubism, psychoanalysis and Catholicism, all three fused with the conceptual foundation of the aforementioned Dada and Surrealism. Although he worked across a wide range of media, Cocteau seemed to treat all of his techniques similarly, often observing every method as an adapted variant of writing.

In his early twenties, Cocteau became associated with the writers Marcel Proust, André Gide and Maurice Barrès. However, as the case was with many young artists of the time, Jean’s development was violently interrupted by the World War I – he served in the Red Cross as an ambulance driver. Something good came out of the whole dire event, however, as Jean met the poet Guillaume Apollinaire while in war. Apollinaire later introduced Cocteau to the likes of Pablo Picasso and Amedeo Modigliani, as well as with numerous other writers with whom he later collaborated. Jean soon formed friendships with many prominent members of the Parisian avant-garde and became a vital part of the entire scene. Although he never wanted to fully commit to one movement, he was regularly linked to Dadaism and Surrealism. Furthermore, Cocteau had great influence on the work of others as his opinion was held in an extremely high regard by his contemporaries.

This is a pleasingly early work and even more so as a self portrait of him as a young man. His style in this period was very cartoonlike. This is perhaps a more honest representation of the way he wished to be viewed. It is very rare and important work of art from one of the figures of the French art scene at a time of its golden age.