Post #13260 by johntiki on Sat, Nov 9, 2002 2:15 PM

On 2002-11-09 05:57, tikifish wrote:
What do you maen by textures exactly? From Shag's prints I thought the paintings were all super smooth, and I always admired that, especially when I am sitting painting and having a hell of a time getting a particular plane of colour to look smooth and even.

The backgrounds on all of Shag's originals have a textured look to them - I'm not a painter so I will try to explain as best I can...Most of the paintings have a textured horizontal or vertical "wash" that gives the background a grooved effect. Some have a smoother texture with a bubbly effect. I never realized or even thought about it until I read your question but, when his paintings are reproduced on prints, the textures disappear. I then went to my Shag books (Supersonic Swingers and Bottomless Cocktail) and noticed that in the books the paintings all have the appearance of texture in the background. Don't get me wrong, the midground and foreground in the paintings are all super smooth and the lines are precision perfect. It had me wondering how he achieves the smooth effects on the objects and people in the foreground if he paints like most people by starting with the background texture first. Seeing his original work in person really gives you an appreciation of his technique and precision…if you’re in New York, check it out!