Grand Theft Auto Online’s mansions update has also added another Easter egg from Red Dead Redemption.
As explained by RockstarIntel, there’s a painting you can buy to install in one of your mansions. The piece is called In The Shade, and it’s credited to C. Châtenay.
The Callback To Red Dead Redemption
C. Châtenay seems to be a reference to Charles Châtenay, a character in Red Dead Redemption 2.
Châtenay emigrated to Saint Denis from France after his works were rejected and ostracized by the art community in his home country. In the side story campaign “The Artist’s Way”, Morgan becomes Châtenay’s friend.
Morgan eventually helps Châtenay escape for the South Pacific after he also destroys his friendships in Saint Denis. And this last story detail hints at Châtenay’s possible inspiration.
Charles Châtenay’s Real – And Unsavory – Inspiration
Paul Gauguin is famous for having traveled to Panama, Martinique, Tahiti, and the Marquesas Islands. The post-Impressionist artist also made some of this most famous and important works while living in these islands.
We won’t detail why Gauguin was an unsavory person in real life, but you can read about the debate if his work should even be exhibited here. It’s easy to see why Rockstar painted broad strokes in their depiction of Châtenay, who is himself ultimately a fictional character.
The Odd Detail In This Easter Egg – Is It An Oversight?
The painting you can buy in Grand Theft Auto Online is probably not a Châtenay original. It was originally depicted in Braithwaithe Manor, an antebellum era plantation in Scarlett Meadows.
Scarlett Meadows is inspired by the Red River areas of North and Central Louisiana, while Saint Denis is Red Dead Redemption’s version of New Orleans.
Both Scarlett Meadows and Saint Denis are located in Lemoyne, itself Rockstar’s version of Louisiana. So this painting existed at the same state that Châtenay lived in, but a completely different city.
Is Rockstar Planning Even More Internal Lore?
While this all looks like a huge oversight, Rockstar would have obviously had to code this painting in for weeks, if not months. They know what they’re doing here.
So there could be even more lore behind this painting than it looks like at first glance. We have a few guesses on what it could be, but who knows?
For one, this painting could have been Châtenay’s copy of the Braithwaite Manor original. In the art world, that means it’s technically not as valuable, unless modern day Grand Theft Auto Online considers Châtenay a much more renowned artist.
Another possibility is that this painting is a forgery of some sort. Châtenay could have plagiarized it years ago, or the Braithwaite Manor artist copied Châtenay. But this could also be a completely modern fake.
Will all of this manner? Possibly not. But it’s also possible that this painting is a setup for a future mission where you delve into the world of art counterfeiters and plagiarists in Grand Theft Auto Online.
