Sunday, January 25, 2009

Sunday Art Review: Mid-Century Modern Work of "Shag"

Living in Palm Springs I have developed an appreciation for mid-century modern style, in everything from architecture, fashion and art. It refers to the pre- and post- second world war developments in modern design from roughly 1933 to 1965. This was very much the early heyday period for Palm Springs, when desert glamour first hit the scene and took the Hollywood set by storm. One current artist whose work captures the essence of this era is Josh Agle, better known as "Shag". (His namesake is a contraction of the last two letters of his first name and the first to letters of his last name.) I thought his work would make an excellent subject for this week's Sunday Art Review: MidCentury Modern Work of 'Shag"

above: "Palm Springs Weekend"
above: "The Best Party"

above: "Liberace's Hands"

above: "Prometheus Brings Fire"

above: "Desert Polynesia"

above: "Hipsters"

above: "Calypso Party"

above: "Baron Von Vodkalov"
above: "Three Minutes Late"
I hope you enjoyed the fun and fabulous works of "Shag". Which one(s) did you like best? Go ahead, leave a comment, its absolutely FREE!
-Rick Rockhill

13 comments:

Karelian Blonde said...

They are all very good but the Pal Springs Weekend gets my vote :)

KathyA said...

I like "Palm Springs Weekend" and "The Best Party" with everyone playing charades. They seem to embody my concept of what the 50-60's in Palm Springs was like.

KathyA said...

I like "Palm Springs Weekend" and "The Best Party" with everyone playing charades. These embody my concept of what the 50's and 60's were like in Palm Springs. Kind of like Lucy and Ricky out in CA for his movie gig. Thanks for the art show!

Anonymous said...

OMG, I LOVE all of them! Those are so fun!!!!! My Mom would have loved those...

I want one for my airstream!

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Although this kind of "fun" art is not particularly my cup of tea, I certainly appreciate his skill as an artist and he color sense as well as his sense of humor....! These ARE Fun.....A Favorite? I cannot really pick one to tell you the truth....A very very fun idea for your Sunday Art post, Rick!

Olivia said...

I like all of them, the retro aesthetic from an era that was cooler than ours, somehow appeals to a part of me.

This style has come back somewhat in a number of animated ads and posters.

Rhodester said...

Hey, that's YOU in "Palm Springs Weekend", standing there talking to the blond! You're so darned modest you neglected to mention that, Rock. I mean, er.. Rick.

Cheryl said...

His work reminds me a little of the Jetson's, but I like it all.

Unknown said...

I love your look and the pictures are Cool!

Anonymous said...

Rick is the woman in the one called Liberace's hands iwth the black cat and the blonde, Jane Morgan?

Anonymous said...

I love "Liberace's Hands"... shades of green (my favorite color) and a cool black kittie (my favorite animal)!

Oh, and I'm LOVING me some PSS!!

texas_fan said...

I love "Desert Polynesia". I love how it incorporates the tram into the art and the focuses on the beauty of Palm Springs.

Thanks for sharing this wonderful art from this very talented artist.

Jay said...

Hi Rick,

You should stop by our Gallery if you are a SHAG fan as we have some new Rat Pack prints that we just picked up from him the other day.

m modern Gallery
2500 N Palm Canyon Dr., #B5
(in Gateway 111 plaza at Racquet Club Rd)
Palm Springs, CA 92262
760 416-3611
www.mmodern.com

We are also doing an event with SHAG at the Hardrock Hotel in Las Vegas on Saturday, September 26th, 2009 if you are interested. This is part of the 944 Magazine (Las Vegas) 4th Anniversary Party.

Cool Post.

Regards, Jay
cell 760 774-8474

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