George Shaw review – down, dirty and delightful in the woods

National Gallery, London
Shaw’s perversely beautiful paintings of detritus – and himself urinating against a tree – are the result of two years up close and personal with the old masters

The artist, the teenager and the serial killer have one thing in common – they are drawn to the woods. That spot on the edge of town where depravity and danger bloom like fungi is the theme of George Shaw’s luscious, funny, provocative new paintings. It is a place we all know, the bit of woodland where kids come to smoke and drink beer, where broken bikes and washing machines get dumped, where a lovely layer of autumn leaves is ruined by an empty prawn cocktail crisp packet.

Related: George Shaw, 49: ‘Every second, every ounce of time has to be accounted for’

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