We know that Brack has carefully contrived every square centimetre of this picture. It is painted with his usual painstaking precision. But the overall effect is of a carelessly composed snapshot. And, however banal the objects depicted, their behavior is inexplicable. In reality, postcards cannot be balanced on the ends of pencils and pencils do not stand naturally on their points.
Sailing is perfectly preposterous, but uncompromisingly deadpan.
This is surrealism with all the drama and histrionics taken out. Well, that's the wrong question. Brack's pictures, particularly the later ones that we see in this exhibition, are precisely about the endless deferral of meaning. Every attempt at explanation raises another puzzle. Yes, it's turtles all the way down.