Jean COCTEAU (1889-1963) Le Buisson ardent ( The Burning Bush) from the series " Taureaux. Lithographies de Jean Cocteau"

Color lithograph on Japanese paper (Japon nakre), dimensions: 37 x 27 cm passe-partout, 48 x 38 in p/p binding, signed and dated from plate, unnumbered, edition limited to 200 pieces, including 32 on Japanese paper. Publisher of the series "Taureaux. Lithographies de Jean Cocteau" of 1965 was the Paris publishing house Éditions Michèle Trinckvel, the lithographs were made at Atelier Mourlot Frères in Paris.Jean Cocteau is one of the most respected and influential artists of the 20th century. His importance, however, does not stem from one particular field, but from his extraordinary versatility and his role as the "renaissance man" of the French avant-garde.Cocteau was a total artist (artiste complet) - poet, writer, playwright, film director, screenwriter, illustrator, painter, sculptor and designer. He was considered one of the most important French poets of the 20th century, and considered his work primarily poetry. As a draughtsman and printmaker, he developed a unique, fluid and minimalist style based on line (the so-called "Cocteau line"), which is instantly recognizable, and he used it in ceramics, lithographs (as in the Taureaux series) and even wall decorations (such as in the Chapel of Saint-Pierre in Villefranche-sur-Mer).Of himself he said: "I am a lie that always tells the truth.""Taureaux" is a series of lithographs, published as an album (folio) under the title Taureaux. Lithographies de Jean Cocteau in 1965. It is one of the last art books (the so-called livre d'artiste) that Cocteau worked on; it was completed shortly before his death in October 1963.The series is dedicated to the corrida (bullfighting), which was Cocteau's passion, as were many other artists in his circle (such as Picasso). The works often depict bulls, bullfighters and scenes from the arena. Although the subject is an actual spectacle, Cocteau enriches it with poetic and symbolic elements, often interweaving images of people and animals in a manner typical of Surrealism and his own unique sensibility. The works often feature the artist's characteristic portraits in profile.The "Taureaux" series is a tribute to tradition. For him, the corrida was not just a sport or entertainment, but a symbolic spectacle of life, death, beauty and courage.Cocteau's works are in the collections of the world's most important museums (e.g. MoMA in New York, the Pompidou Center in Paris). He was regularly awarded during his lifetime - in 1955 he was elected to the French Academy (Académie française) and was a Commander of the Legion of Honor.The setting shown in the visuals is for illustrative purposes only and does not constitute a commercial offer.