Daniel Krause is an American sculptor who is based in Guangzhou, China. Born in 1964 in Chicago, Illinois, he attended the University of California at San Diego before coming to China in 1987. He earned an MFA from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in 1993. He currently teaches Contemporary Metal Sculpture in the Sculpture Department of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts
Daniel Krause’s sculptures represent the power and energy of the Pearl River Delta people. His semi-abstract figures reflect the dramatic transformation that has taken place in China since the late 1980s. Lively and dynamic, they convey the confidence and energy of an emerging new society.
His large sculptures are made of iron plate metal, which is cut and welded together. Next the sculptures are dipped in acid, electroplated and primed with black baked enamel, before being painted in gold and brown. The smaller sculptures are made of bronze, using the “cire perdue” or “lost wax” technique. A model is first made in wax, then this is covered with clay, and the whole thing is heated causing the wax to melt. This leaves a space into which molten metal is poured. After it has cooled, the outside clay is knocked off and remaining is a metal version of the original wax model. Finally the sculptures are mounted on marble bases.
The “lost wax” technique dates from the 3rd millennium BC and has changed little since. Since the mould cannot be used again, each sculpture made using this technique is unique. All Daniel Krause’s sculptures are original works of art; there are no editions or copies. There are two or three variations in size and arrangement.
Daniel Krause started sculpting in primary school. In the 1970s, while working with stoneware and ceramic pottery at high school, he read about the discovery of the terracotta warriors at Xian and became fascinated by Chinese art. At the University of California, where he studied under the late Professor Italo Scanga, he began to focus on figurative sculpture and welding metal figures. In Guangzhou, he studied under Liang Ming Cheng, one of China’s most prominent contemporary sculptors.
Key influences on Daniel Krause’s work have been Alberto Giacometti, David Smith, Juan Miro, Vasily Kandinsky, Umberto Boccioni, as well as the art of Ancient Egypt and Japan, Chinese Buddhist figures, stone grottoes and ancient bronzes, and of course the terracotta warriors of the First Emperor who first inspired him.
