Autumn's Come Undone [Hardcover]

Shag (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2009

Shag is an internationally acclaimed modern artist whose expertly rendered paintings are visual celebrations of life's pleasures and indulgences. His work is instantly recognizable for its trademark combination of sly humor and vibrant colors. Until now... Something's come undone. The intimate moments that have made Shag famous have been replaced by epic tableaus. Richly hued designer environments have given way to subtly desaturated expanses. Characters who were once grounded in mid-century formality are teetering on the brink of chaos. This collection of new work showcases the largest, darkest and most thought provoking images Shag has ever created. The art is distinctly Shag, but it's painted in shades of black humor.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Baby Tattoo Books; 1 edition (October 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979330734
• ISBN-13: 978-0979330735
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 12.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #738,441 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars SHAG X SHAG, January 1, 2010

By 

Buffy (Sunnydale) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Autumn's Come Undone (Hardcover)

Autumn's Come Undone reproduces Shag's artworks from his solo art show in 2009 and it's easily the most interesting Shag imagery since.... well, a long time. The usual cast of retro hipsters are here, but, this time they seem to have multiplied so that the illustrations are packed dense with figures that seem to cover every inch of the frame. Shag has probably been looking at some outsider art for inspiration and it helps elevate his otherwise paint-by-number compositions to a new direction. If this sounds like a left-handed compliment then I guess it is, but there's no denying that the new, heavily populated images pack a punch. With the muted earth tones and darker feel these images have breathed new life into the art of Shag. As for the book itself, the production values are fine. If there's one suggestion it would have been to print this as an oversized book since each image is filled with many small details versus a single, large figure, and the pictures seem too small at times. At the gallery where Shag's canvas prints were shown, they were much larger than his normal paintings so you could see the details. Overall, a recommended book for the Shag or retro art fan.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why SHAG is an ARTIST, not a painter., December 25, 2010

By 

Tom Mosgrove (Kentucky) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Autumn's Come Undone (Hardcover)

I received the book as a gift from my wife for Christmas and as soon as I opened the cover and saw a picture of Josh Agle aka SHAG sitting in his studio in his underwear looking sullen with a glass of Jameson's in the foreground I knew I was in for a treat. As I thumbed through the book and saw the dark and muted colors, people throwing themselves into pits, and the mix of characters from different periods in his paintings I began to feel that while these paintings were not ' typical ' SHAG, they were something to behold and take in. Especially after the intro picture set the tone.

It seems, and based on the epilogue of the book written by his brother, that the SHAG a lot of us have come to know is in a transforming phase of his career, he has begun a chrysalis of sorts and while still using the same style that he is known for, he is doing what every real artist does, he is growing. The work in this book is dark, disturbing, haunting, and interesting at the same time. SHAG is basically telling the world that the old SHAG is dead, and a new artist is emerging, one that is changing, growing, and making art for the reason any artist makes art, because they are driven to.

4.0 out of 5 stars Not your dads shag, March 2, 2011

By 

W. Dietrich "WD" (Las Vegas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Autumn's Come Undone (Hardcover)

I have been a fan of Shag for the last nine years or so. I have over 10 of his prints and have always been attracted to the bright colors and the simplicity of Shags prints. Shags work always seemed like he came up with the ideas using a cocktail napkin and a box of crayola colors. After every purchase I would say to myself why could I not come up with something so simple but yet brilliant. For me Shag's work was like a drug and I was an addict constantly wanting more.

With Autumn's Come Undone it is as Shag is entering a new phase of his work the colors are no longer bright and cheeful but more dark and earth tone. The characters are no longer simple lines but more complex and have way more depth and complexity that has previously been lacking in Shag's work. I am not opposed to the new works but should I collect these works I would not mix them in with my older prints. All in all this is a nice collection and somewhat a new avenue of work for Shag but if you are expecting Shag as you are used to than you are going to be in for a surprise...not a bad surprise just a surprise.