Color lithograph, on Arches paper, 66 x 51 cm clear passe-partout, framed 88 x 72 cm, signed on the plate " Jean Cocteau 1961", limited edition of 151/300 pieces, based on a pastel exhibited at the Bastion Museum in Nice under the supervision and with the permission of the Cocteau Heirs and the Jean Cocteau Foundation in 1994.
Publisher: Atelier ARTCO France. Original certificate and deed of sale included.
"Les Amoureux" is not a single work, but a central theme and series of works created by Cocteau, especially in the 1950s, when the artist settled on the French Riviera. The theme of "Lovers" was processed by Cocteau in various techniques. The primary form of publication (apart from drawings) was the lithograph (an original art print. The lithograph was made in 1994 based on a pastel exhibited at the Bastion Museum in Nice.
The image of "Les Amoureux" is so iconic and recognizable that it has been used repeatedly as a poster advertising exhibitions of Jean Cocteau's works in museums and galleries (such as the Musée Jean Cocteau in Menton). Characteristic of this series is the use of a single, flowing line, typical of Cocteau's drawing style. Cocteau uses a minimal amount of lines to capture the essence of characters and emotions. The drawings are elegant, clean and full of lightness. Many works depict two conjoined profiles or a couple in a thoughtful, heated kiss (un baiser fougueux). Heads fill the entire frame, creating an intense, intimate portrait.
"Les Amoureux" is the quintessential example of Jean Cocteau's poetic, linear style, in which emotion and intimacy are conveyed with extraordinary delicacy and precision of line.
