Untitled

The drawing Untitled (1978) features one of the signature motifs from Daniëls' early oeuvre: a dynamic spinning record that covers the paper from left to right. The record is loosely drawn as an active ellipse with rotating grooves. The form is interrupted by other ellipses, rectangles and lines that anchor the freely spinning record in the composition and counterbalance the downward force of the record. Several hatchings underlining the handwriting of the artist define the drawing. To that, the grid lines (upper left, lower right) are fencing off the space while simultaneously stressing the flatness of the image.
From the start of his career, Daniëls proves to be fond of innuendos and multiple meanings. The style of his early work may seem (or even be) formal, but it is striking that he references objects from daily life - usually means of communication - books, records and video camera. Applauded as the Dutch forerunner of De Nieuwe Schilderkunst (New Painting), he frequently uses the traditional art form to give an emphatic wink to new media. It is known that, in the early eighties, Daniëls had a personal passion for video taping punk concerts with his Super 8 Camera. Apart from references to his personal and daily life this drawing also awakes art historical associations; the cross hatching and the shape of the record are like a grid and oval in a cubist painting.