The Chase (Brack)

The Chase
ArtistJohn Brack
Year1959
Mediumoil on composition board
Dimensions100.2 cm × 121.8 cm (39.4 in × 48.0 in)
LocationArt Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat

The Chase is a 1969 painting by Australian artist John Brack. The painting depicts three girls–Brack's daughters–running in a playful manner.[1]

The painting has a similar theme to Brack's Two Running Girls and both were first exhibited in August 1959 at the Antipodeans Exhibition at the Victorian Artists Society galleries in Melbourne.[1]

The painting was included in two major exhibitions of Brack's work hosted by the National Gallery of Victoria in 1987 and 2009. A study for the work remains in the Gallery's collection.[1]

The Chase is a classic Brack piece, featuring the artist’s own daughters running in a playful manner. This energetic and important painting is a familiar, everyday subject that simultaneously depicts the fun and simplicity of childhood games while alluding to the darker side of human nature in the ‘shadows of anxiety’ that are cast by the running girls.

— Australian Arts Review, [1]

Art Gallery of Ballarat director Louise Tegart noted "The Chase is one of Brack’s great paintings which would sit comfortably with the artist’s iconic works such as The Bar (1954), Collins St., 5 pm (1955) and The Car (1955)"[1] and "While it appears quite a simplistic image, there’s a lot going on. It could be about children at play, a symbol of young girls moving into womanhood, or the performance of femininity and womanhood."[2]

Provenance

Brack's family donated the work to the Art Gallery of Ballarat in 2022 and it remains part of their collection.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "John Brack's iconic painting The Chase donated to the Art Gallery of Ballarat". Australian Arts Review. 2 June 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  2. ^ Williams, Edwina (2 June 2023). "Gallery acquires playful icon". Ballarat Times. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  3. ^ "New Acquisition: John Brack". Art Gallery of Ballarat. Retrieved 31 July 2024.