Zig-zag Zigzag

Description

In a 1998 catalogue of René Daniëls’s work, this painting bears the title "Eindhoven niet Eindhoven" [Eindhoven not Eindhoven]. This text appears in the bottom left corner of the painting. Daniëls was born and raised in Eindhoven and, with the exception of a few periods during which he worked elsewhere, he stayed there until the beginning of 1987. It was then that he moved to Amsterdam, the hotspot of the Dutch art world. This painting was created in that period. The painting exhibits the characteristics of Daniels’s "Mooie tentoonstellingen" series: the shapes that resemble bow ties, but which could also represent three or in some cases two walls of a room. It is as though the bow ties/rooms zigzag across the painting. One of them is rotated through 90 degrees and as such offers us the opportunity of making new associations, or perhaps it is being figuratively contrary. Most bow ties/rooms have the same structure as the text: a long side-short middle-long side, like the words Eindhoven-not-Eindhoven are long-short-long.

[2020]

Does this page contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? We would like to hear from you.