DANIELS, ALFRED

DANIELS, ALFRED (1924–1975), British painter. Daniels was born in the East End of London, and studied commercial art before World War II. While studying at the Royal College of Art, London, he was commissioned to execute a series of murals. Influenced by the American Jewish painter ben shahn , Daniels always displayed a deep concern for ordinary people in everyday activity. He executed a number of paintings of East End Jewish life and combined in his work a concern for urban realism and a sense of stylization. Characteristic of his work was an exhibition devoted to buildings in London undergoing demolition, including the former Bayswater Synagogue. His work has much in common with such English painters as Stanley Spencer and Lowry, notably in the sympathetic humor with which he depicts everyday life. He was both a gifted draftsman and an active photographer, basing his compositions on these two forms of research. He exhibited regularly in London and abroad and received numerous commissions for murals and book illustrations. For some years he taught at the Hornsey College of Art, London. Daniels is represented in major collections throughout the world, including the Tel Aviv Museum. (Charles Samuel Spencer)