There is a huge leap from the road to landscapes, and the risks of being accused of self-promotion (as well as defacing sights) couldn't be greater. Nonetheless, Guillaume Legros, artist name Saype (the contraction of the words say and peace), did not hold back. And he was right to do so. Completely right.
Born in Switzerland in 1989, he defines himself as a hybrid artist halfway between street art and land art, and it is surprising to learn that he is genuinely self-taught. His beginnings, as for many, were in the street and then on plexiglass slabs, but in 2013 he veered sharply towards land art. And from there to his consecration.
Always attentive to environmental issues, he works on highly respectful painting techniques using natural pigments mixed with water, linseed oil and absolutely biodegradable colors. His creations are inevitably perishable and have a natural life cycle: often the growth of the grass is enough to remove them.
Saype knows how to surprise also because he has no borders. Following him in his artistic evolution is like going on a fascinating world tour. As of writing this piece, he is finishing a work of art in Sea Point, Capetown.
Qu’est-ce qu’un grand homme?
Leysin - Switzerland
It dates back to 2016 and is one of his first, amazing works. It is perhaps still the most famous. It is a huge work that occupied 10,000 square meters of grass and depicts a shepherd smoking a pipe: an image that from his point of view (and not only his) is life as it should be lived.
Qu’est-ce qu’un grand homme? II
Aurillac - France
Much more recent, 2020, is the depiction of the same subject, this time depicted fully and not just from the bust. He covered 4,000 square metres with the black and white of his biodegradable paint. From each perspective, the smoke from the pipe goes in different directions: it is not an optical effect, this is real smoke generated for the occasion.