A large composition, The Quatuor Espagnol, that was displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, was one of the successes of the Paris Salon of 1884.

He was influenced by a number of masters, including Carolus Duran and Munkácsy, though more by the latter, as can be observed in his paintings Contrebandier Aragonais and Quatuor Espagnol.

[7][8][9] Though at one time his name was mentioned alongside other great American painters such as Sargent and Whistler, Dannat's popularity was more in Europe than his homeland.

As he approached middle age, the financially secure artist began to devote more and more of his time to other interests: fencing, boxing and later automobile racing.

For nearly twenty years, Dannat ceased painting and when he resumed around 1913, his art had adopted a more surrealistic style with illusionary landscapes and bizarre themes.