Customer Reviews

Autumn's Come Undone

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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.

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.

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.