Netherlands-based Japanese artist Hidenori Mitsue paints beautiful, circular landscapes that create the sensation of peering into a small sliver of a much larger scene. Approximately 20×20 inches round, his oil on linen paintings merge landscapes with the abstract. Mitsue paints buildings, windmills, houses, and trees with recognizable detail but then uses quicker paints strokes of bright whites and colors to produce the suggestion of people set against the soft, hazy backgrounds.
From a distance, each scene appears to concentrate on tiny people interacting in every day scenes. However, upon closer inspection, viewers will find the that small, dynamic figures are composed of very little details. Mitsue seems to always choose winter scenes with snow-covered rooftops and bare tree branches. The stark places are quite ordinary, leaving viewers to more fully concentrate on the artist's creative, yet simple, interpretations of reality.
One review states, “In the paintings of Hidenori Mitsue, his Japanese background is clearly visible: traditional subjects like mountains and blossom trees work together with modern images of expensive cars and houses. However, the strength of his work does not lie in his mixed cultural background, but in his artistic interpretation of the world around him. He does not have a definite process but displays his stories continuously in a different way. Hidenori Mitsue creates modern myths with his work.”
