Overview

British artist Daniels' eye-grabbing trompe l’oeil works are a tussle between abstraction and realism. The result is a richly associative blend of painting, sculpture, photography, and theater, filled with references to diverse subjects such as European paintings or shoe advertisements.

Biography

William Daniels pushes photorealism into abstraction. Claiming “Painting by its nature is just painting light,” he captures the nuances of light and form in his meticulously painted canvases, in which he foregrounds the tension between reality and artifice inherent to his medium. It's a methodical three-part process: he begins by constructing a maquette out of aluminum foil or scraps of paper and cardboard, then carefully lights and photographs the maquette, working from the photograph to make his paintings.

Daniels recreates iconic historical works — including Caravaggio, William Blake, J.M.W. Turner and Georg Baselitz — as well as adverts from famous brands.

Works
  • "YvesSaintLaurent"
    William Daniels
    Yves Saint Laurent, 2020
    oil on board
    38 x 30.5 cm
    14 15/16 x 12 1/16 in
  • "HelmutLang"
    William Daniels
    Helmut Lang, 2020
    oil on board
    33 x 26 cm
    12 15/16 x 10 3/16 in
  • "NewLook"
    William Daniels
    New Look, 2020
    oil on board
    38.5 x 31 cm
    15 2/16 x 12 3/16 in
  • "FootB"
    William Daniels
    Foot B, 2019
    oil on board
    31 x 27 cm
    12 3/16 x 10 10/16 in
  • "LudwigRichteronHisWaytoWork"
    William Daniels
    Ludwig Richter on his way to work, 2019
    oil on board
    34.5 x 30.5 cm
    13 9/16 x 12 1/16 in
  • "BforLarry"
    William Daniels
    B for Larry, 2019
    oil on board
    36.4 x 28 cm
    14 5/16 x 11 1/16 in
  • "FootA"
    William Daniels
    Foot A, 2019
    oil on board
    31.9 x 26.3 cm
    12 8/16 x 10 5/16 in
  • The Shepherd
    William Daniels
    The Sheperd, 2019
    oil on board
    34 x 29 cm
    13 6/16 x 11 6/16 in
Exhibitions
Art Fairs