The bar

Cecil John Brack's painting The Bar exemplifies his mastery of genre painting combined with a subtle use of Expressionism to capture the mundane yet symbolic scenes of Australian life. Brack’s works are renowned for their sharp critique of contemporary society, encapsulating the idiosyncrasies of his era with a power and succinctness unmatched by other Australian artists. The Bar offers a dry, almost surreal snapshot of social interaction, forging an iconic image of the decade on canvas as forcefully as Barry Humphries did on stage.