William Daniels was born on 1976 in Brighton.In their rustic aesthetic and exaggerated spatial rendering William Daniels's paintings, at first glance, appear to be contemporary explorations of cubism. They are, however, immaculately drafted still-lifes. Daniels begins each piece by making immensely detailed collages: reconstructing well known art historical paintings from bits of found paper, fag packs, and household products. Using these as maquettes, he then translates each fold, frayed edge, and bevelled texture into highly realistic paintings.
William Daniels slow process of working from reproductions reflects how often our experiences of the world are formed from secondary material and documentary sources. Daniels' seems to deliberately play with traditions of painting and the notion of the artist present before his subject. Through his choices of subject matter Daniels' painting often appear antiquated and incongruous with the nature of modern life - as if Daniels' were nostalgic for this loss of experience. Daniels' paintings hold a further level of complexity that is derived from their appearance as faithful copies of original masterpieces.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2006
? William Daniels & Fiona Jardine, Transmission, Glasgow
2005
? William Daniels, Vilma Gold, London
? William Daniels, Marc Foxx, Los Angeles
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2005
? Waste Material, The Drawing Room, London
? The Darkest Hour, Leisure Club Mogadishni, Copenhagen
? Young Masters, 148a St John Street, London
2004
? Death & Magic, Keith Talent Gallery, London
? XS, FA Projects, London
? Project 1, Alma Enterprises, London
Conclusions:
The baffling complexity of Daniels' paintings often lends a solidity and permanence to the otherwise throwaway ephemeral materials use to construct each Marquette.In past works Daniels' has exclusively chosen to reinterpret pre-twentieth century masterpieces including The Abbey in the Oak Wood by Casper David Friedrich, The Incredulity of St Thomas by Caravaggio and Raphael's The Resurrection
What to Do Next...
If you want any information about William Daniels or looking for his paintings please visit us on http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/william_daniels.htm
