Jean Cocteau, Paris Possibly 1952 - 1989

Editor: This is Ernst Haas's photograph, "Jean Cocteau, Paris." There's no date, but the image captures Cocteau mid-drawing—it feels so immediate, like we're peeking into his creative process. What do you see in it? Curator: I see a dance, a collaboration between the photographer and the artist. Haas captures not just Cocteau's image, but the very act of creation. Do you notice how the lines of the drawing echo the lines of Cocteau's hand? It's almost as if the hand *is* the drawing. Editor: That's beautiful! I hadn’t considered the connection between hand and art. Curator: It also makes me think about the ephemeral nature of art, the way a drawing can be made in a moment, captured forever by a photograph. Food for thought! Editor: Definitely. I’ll never look at a photograph of an artist the same way again.