Maison de Santé 1926

Jean Cocteau made this line drawing, "Maison de Santé," and you know, it’s such a Cocteau drawing! He’s got these figures, caught in a moment that feels both classical and totally bizarre. The lines are spare, like he’s tracing an image from a dream, or maybe a hallucination – which actually seems fitting, given the title. You can see the human form, but it's like the body has become a map of the nerves or something. I wonder if he was thinking about his own health when he made this. Was he playing doctor with his pen? You know, artists often do that. We try to diagnose ourselves, or the world, through our work. It’s like drawing becomes a way of feeling out the edges of things we can’t quite name. And those dots trailing down the figure’s body? I can’t help but wonder if Cocteau was having a bit of fun, leaving breadcrumbs for us to follow… Or maybe for himself.