Johannes Daniel

The concentration in Johannes Daniel’s paintings is exceptional. Without becoming excessive or overdone, Daniel inserts a lot of themes, objects and details into his work. The paintings are very much alive, and the painter seems to effortlessly find the right balance between a certain frivolity and somewhat heavier content. Fluid lines and areas of color are alternated by more tight and rigid surfaces and forms, a dreamy liquid world is mixed with clear and harder shapes.Together they form a painterly sensation. 

There is a playful variation of body parts, of faces and hands within the paintings. These also feature elements from social media elements, or graffiti that you could possibly find on an outside wall. Symbols and letters as well as references to other artists can be interpreted as a reaction to the art of the 80s. Although there may not be any direct references to painters of the 80s, some of the paintings evoke the same painterly atmosphere of some artists working at that time, like Sigmar Polke. Yet, the works are clearly from the 21st century. The work has a certain graphic aesthetic that reflects the visual language of our time. Elements such as white shorts, a down winter coat, a contemporary font and certain fluid forms give the feeling that we are looking at the world of today. 

Daniel's works are painted collages that have been sensitively assembled. A correct use of perspective and a balanced composition are sometimes deliberately ignored and avoided. This is one of the reasons why the paintings are so full of energy and remain interesting the longer they are viewed. Daniel paints with a sort of "accidents-happen" attitude and proceeds without a fully elaborated plan. This is an attitude that many good painters have maintained in the past, as well as today. These painters allow him to respond to painterly incidents and blurry edges. Responding to these incidents and edges, give the work essential qualities and challenge the viewer's interpretation and imagination. .