William Daniels contemporary paintings are full of sculptural depth, their abstract arrangement an inspiration of petroleum colours; both natural and artificial, and which are created by the positioning of lights on man-made materials.
In creating these paintings Daniels produced scale-models made from materials found in most homes, primarily foil, paper and cardboard, and shaping them to resemble famous artworks of the past, or of an image Daniels had in mind. When he completed the arrangement he photographed the scene and then set to paint the image as three-dimensional as the original.
It was in using these arrangements that Daniels first shot to fame – his portrayal of historical artwork being first reconstructed in modern materials, to then being posed as a still-life and finally recaptured as a sculptural-painting that’s abstract in appearance. His skilful use of light and shadow producing a three-dimensional rendering of the old and making it new; David with the Head of Goliath (2007), which pays homage (but with a modern twist) to Caravaggio’s work of the same name but produced in 1610. As such, Daniels paintings explore the importance of the art in question, and ideas of originality in artwork.
“David with the Head of Goliath” by William Daniels. 2007. Oil on Board. Vilma Gold
His art today expands on this but with the models no longer based on existing artworks, but explored only as figurative and abstract art forms. Using an orchestrated positioning of light, the crumpled foil casts multiple colours for the camera to capture – the work as such straddling between the sphere of being both abstract and arranged, whilst natural in light to the construction of materials – Untitled (2010). This unique representation of colour and form drawing it to stand out from the body of Daniels’ work – being un-positional in time or reference of space.
There is a highly textural feel to Daniels’ paintings, you can imagine the crunch of the foil, to its sharp corners, and yet his oil paintings of layered and torn paper have the most palpable feel; L’Origine Du Monde I (2006), the colours minimal but the shading beautiful, the foreground’s detail given as much attention as to the backgrounds.
“L’Origine Du Monde I” by William Daniels. 2006. Oil on Board. Vilma Gold
Daniels’ art forms an unusual loop that questions production of dimensions; from a three-dimensional model – to a two-dimensional painting that captures the original dimension’s likeness. It feels as though William Daniels’ art takes the viewer on a journey of contrasting-halves between being both materialised to the illusionary, realistic to the abstract. From its simple influence of materials, Daniels produces works of art deceivingly complex in its layering.
