Géraud Delteil – Clermont-Ferrand

Facing Géraud Delteil’s portraits is a bit like confronting the gazes of 19th-century portraiture.
But here, the colors are pop and the touch is street. You can’t escape those eyes. These “girls” don’t take their eyes off you—they follow you wherever you go. What immediately stands out is the strangeness of these portraits: proportions that defy standards, oversized eyes, short noses, and wide smiles. The portraits radiate a decadent atmosphere, and a rebellious feeling emerges from the canvas.

Unconventional and offbeat, these “girls” provoke strong reactions—you either love them or you don’t! But they never leave you indifferent; they always stir up some kind of emotion. If you take the time to linger, you’ll start to examine the backgrounds in detail, question what you see, and analyze the clues to grasp part of their story. The artist plants references, codes, and signs of time in the background, creating layers of meaning through a delicate play of transparency with the paint.
The portraits are fun, witty—Delteil never falls into vulgarity, overt sex appeal, or objectification. Instead, these paintings depict a kind of “girls’ army” built on diversity and strength.

To create these characters, he studies and incorporates clothing codes, makeup, scars, piercings, tattoos, and other adornments that women, throughout history, have used to express who they want to be. Their choices reflect their convictions and needs. Choosing women as the dominant theme is a tribute to them.

Géraud Delteil is a sensitive artist who needs his cocoon to create.
His studio unfolds and adapts to his needs—it’s a sort of nomadic workshop that can follow him wherever he goes, whether on vacation or traveling, fulfilling his constant urge to paint.

The hyper-creativity that drives him has been present since childhood.
With a sharp eye, he knows how to portray what he cannot put into words. Entirely self-taught, he has worked with all kinds of media and techniques. He began honing his skills in the streets, abandoned spaces, and on trains, using spray paint. He loves geek culture, the 80s and 90s, and motorcycles—elements that clearly influence his work.

His favorite tool—key to his exceptional precision and creative freedom—is the airbrush.
This instrument sprays ink or liquid color with compressed air. One can’t help but be impressed by the technique. The airbrush is a fascinating tool, offering a different approach to painting. In fact, it allows him to paint in space, at a distance from the canvas. The movements it requires are like a precise, delicate, and controlled choreography—there’s no room for error.