René Daniëls

The oeuvre that René Daniëls built between 1977 and 1987 is humorous and enigmatic at the same time. Because Daniëls often plays with representation and perspective, his work is often open to multiple interpretations. In this painting, the first of a series, he combines a tree-like structure with twelve bow-tie shapes. This now-famous motif has dominated his work since 1985. The bow ties could also be seen as three-dimensional museum galleries. And the tree might easily stand for a schematic of the walls in an exhibition. Paintings hang on these branching walls like blossoms, ready to be admired. You could say that they only come into full bloom when the eyes of the viewer are upon them. This piece is evidence that Daniëls reflected on his own work and artistic career and that this reflection inspired new work.