Exhibition John Brack - Audio Guide

In Watching the Flowers, we study the artist's optimistic vision of the future and the final years of John Brack's professional life.

Here we learn about the creation of Brack's psychologically intense portrait of Hal Hattam.

The wedding series was a period of exploration in Brack's work as he experimented with the material possibilities of paint and a more abstract style of imagery.

Here we explore a fascinating series of pictures known as the Ballroom Dancing Series from 1969.

The experience of the Brack's first overseas trip resulted in an unexpected shift in John's work.

Here we discuss The Battle, a portrayal of the 1815 battle of Waterloo. We go on to discuss Brack's understanding of the relationship between the viewer and a painting.

In The Hands and the Faces, Brack explores the genre of history painting.

Here we explore Brack's fascination with the city and suburbs and their essential contribution to the artist's depiction of modern Australian life.

The Bar, painted in 1954, is characteristic of John Brack's subject matter. Recently acquired by the NGV, this work is now permanently available for public viewing.

The well-known and well-loved Collins St, 5 p.m. is a distinctly Melbourne depiction of city life in the 1950s.

Here we discuss The Racecourse series, a selection of Brack's watercolour and etchings analysing the Saturday afternoon activities at Melbourne racecourse during the winter of 1956.

The Boucher nude is part of Brack's first series of Nude's painted in 1957. The setting is the artist's North Balwyn home.

The shop window series was produced during the early 1960s and coincided with Brack's appointment as the head of the National Gallery School in 1962.

Narrator Christopher Brown takes a look at John Brack's early years as a young man growing up in Melbourne, and the social and political influence this had on a young artists professional development.

In The Barber's Shop, we discover the essential ingredients of a young Brack’s approach to painting.

Here we discuss Brack's unique style of drawing with paint and how these early stages of drawing guided his ideas and eventual composition.