Gilles Sarthou, a French painter and draftsman born in Bordeaux in 1953, captures the essence of living things, movement, and the land. Through hunting scenes, racing cars, and landscapes of the Arcachon basin, he pays homage to a natural and cultural heritage with sensitivity and realism.
Self-taught, Gilles Sarthou never attended art school. From a very young age, he developed a passion for drawing and painting. Always equipped with a sketchbook, he captures animals, landscapes, and scenes from life on the spot. The son of a breeder, his connection with animals, particularly dogs and horses, profoundly influences his work.
For over ten years, he has lived in a hamlet in the Landes region, isolated in the heart of the forest, between Bordeaux and Bayonne. This natural setting fuels his inspiration and his attachment to rural tradition.
Varied Themes, Reflecting Sincere Passions
Animal Painting: Animal portraits are one of his signatures. He precisely captures the nobility of hounds or hunting horses, attentive to their gazes, postures, and the animals’ energy.
Marine Painting: A lover of the Arcachon basin, he paints pinasses, oyster ports, tides, and sailboats. His seascapes, often pastel, express the soft and luminous atmosphere of the Atlantic coast.
Motorsports: A fan of car racing, he creates paintings of legendary racing cars (Porsche 917K, vintage Ferraris…) which he observes on site during rallies or events, before working on them in his studio.
Rural Life and Hunting: His Aquitaine origins are expressed in his hunting scenes, his pointing dogs, and his riders in red coats. He also illustrates works dedicated to hunting.
Gilles Sarthou uses oil paint, but also gouache, sanguine, pencil, and graphite. His style combines precision of line and chromatic softness. Cloudy skies, intricate shadows, and captured movements lend life and authenticity to his canvases.
He also offers commissioned works, based on photos or sketches, particularly animal portraits or maritime scenes.
Recognition and Artistic Presence
Since 1976, he has exhibited regularly in Bordeaux, Paris, Dinard, Monaco, Knokke-le-Zoute, Cap Ferret… He won 3rd prize in painting at the centenary of the Société de Vènerie in Montpoupon (2007). His studio-boutique in Cap Ferret is open annually from Easter to September.
His works attract many French and foreign collectors, who are lovers of animal art and the traditions of the Southwest.
“the Brooklyn Watchman” at Château d’Arsac: an Astonishing Work
At the heart of Château d’Arsac is an unusual work by Gilles Sarthou: The Brooklyn Watchman. This bronze sculpture depicts a man sitting on a bench, hat on his head, gaze turned towards the horizon, barefoot, calm, almost dreamy.
Installed in front of a painted fresco of the New York skyline, it creates a dialogue between the character’s tranquility and the urban bustle. It is a work that is both realistic and poetic, a nod to the universality of contemplative individuals.
It reveals another facet of the artist, capable of transitioning from brush to volume, from local to international, while retaining his sensitivity.
Gilles Sarthou paints and sculpts with his heart. His work, rooted in the Southwest but open to the world, evokes fidelity, memory, and transmission. The Brooklyn Watchman, at Château d’Arsac, perfectly illustrates his art: accessible, eloquent, and profoundly human.
To discover, along with other artists, on our Art & Vines page
https://chateau-arsac.com/art-contemporain-vigne-alliance-chateau-arsac/
