In Igor and Coco, a film based on a novel by Chris Greenhalgh, Igor Stravinsky rudely says to Coco Chanel, "You are not a real artist." But what does that mean? It has been said that the definition of a true artist appears to lie somewhere between a person who creates from within, unaware of the times in which one lives (Stravinsky), and someone who seizes the times and creates out of necessity (Chanel). And while Greenhalgh’s tale focuses on an intense encounter between the two, it seems to rely on sketchy biographical data. Yet, the apparent friendship between Stravinsky and Chanel offers us a rare view at the volatile atmosphere in which the works of two artistic virtuosos took form.

          In the film Igor and Coco, an intense affair between the two is presented to have directly inspired products of genius. The story begins in 1913 with a Paris theatrical showing of Stravinsky's new ballet: The Rite of Spring, which caused one of the most scandalous audience reactions in the history of theatre. Yet, Chanel, in attendance, was more amused than angered by it. Seven years later, and in the middle of her fragrance-line development, Chanel invited Stravinsky and his family to live at her suburban residence in Paris. The film suggests the two apparently engaged in a short, but significant affair under the anguished eye of his ailing wife. And while critics have cited the affair as nothing historically factual, Chanel relates details of the affair in a memoir that is oddly contested by those who knew them best. Currently, while Stravinsky’s compositions from the Rite of Spring are considered one of the most influential works of the Twentieth Century, revelations regarding Coco’s entanglement with “Nazi spies, unscrupulous businessmen [and] double agents,” traces the origins of the Chanel No.5 fragrance to this scandalous revelation.

          This subject will bring Paris in the Roaring Twenties to life; a decade in which many people “defied Prohibition, indulged in new styles of dancing and dressing, and rejected many traditional moral standards.” Indeed, it is known as a time when Paris sizzled with “sex, booze, and jazz,” and fostered sophisticated foreigners and famous expatriates from Eastern Europe, like Igor Stravinsky. This subject will investigate how time, space and atmosphere creates opportunity for creative individuals to flourish, and will explore the roots of how originality develops out of spirituality. While a relationship is questioned to have developed between Coco and Igor, it’s possible that Stravinsky may have revealed himself on the matter, stating: “In order to create there must be a dynamic force, and what force is more potent than love?” In the end, what facts can be unearthed about this subject will indicate how these artists developed under vastly different circumstances to create significant works of art that have stood the test of time.