Men's Fashion
Men’s Wear is a 1953 painting by Australian artist John Brack.
The painting depicts the interior of a menswear store, including the proprietor and some mannequins, standing in front of displays of ties and trousers.
A mirror in the background reflects a silhouette of the artist.[1
It seems to be a simple image of an ordinary shop, but its simplicity is deceptive.
There’s a complex interaction of lines of sight, for a start
the jokey inclusion of the silhouetted figure opens up the interior space to the space outside the shop, outside the pictorial space even.
And there’s a play – inspired, perhaps, by Magritte – between man, mannequin and silhouette that creates ambiguity.
It’s a sort of surrealism of the high street
Brack painted the work while he was Art Master at Melbourne Grammar School.
It is one of a series of paintings, including The Barber’s Shop (1952) and The Fish Shop (1955) of small high street businesses.[2]
The painting was acquired by the National Gallery of Australia in 1982 and is now part of its Australian Art collection.
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