Adoremus, Society for the Renewal of the Sacred Liturgy
Daniel Mitsui
Artist Daniel Mitsui was born in Georgia, USA, in 1982, and raised in Illinois. He attended Dartmouth College from 2000 to 2004, where he studied drawing, painting, printmaking, and film animation.
Ink drawing became his specialty, and his meticulously detailed creations, done entirely by hand on paper or vellum, are now held in collections worldwide. In his religious work, he attempts to be faithful to the Second Council of Nicea (787 AD), which affirmed religious images and said that the composition of religious imagery is not left to the initiative of artists, but is formed upon principles laid down by the Catholic Church and by religious tradition.
Seeing in the art of the Middle Ages a vigorous, faithful and sophisticated expression of that tradition, he draws much of his inspiration from medieval illuminated manuscripts, incunabula (earliest printed books produced ca. 1450-1500), panel paintings, and tapestries. He is especially concerned with correctness in the iconographic, symbolic, and geometric aspects of this art.
While keeping true to these principles, Mitsui’s art has absorbed many other influences, especially in its decoration. These include the Arts & Crafts movement, microbiological imagery, Japanese woodblock prints, and Persian miniatures. By combining medieval principles with different artistic forms, Mitsui hopes to demonstrate their universal and continued rele- vance.
One of his most prestigious projects was completed in 2011, when the Vatican commissioned him to illustrate a new edition of the Roman Pontifical. He is currently working to establish Millefleur Press, an imprint for publishing fine printed books inspired by the incunabula and blockbooks of the fifteenth century.
Daniel Mitsui lives in Chicago with his wife Michelle, a classical singer, and their two sons. His work can be seen online at danielmitsui.com.
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Work published in the Adoremus Bulletin:
A Medivalist Considers Inculturation in Sacred Art, , August 2014
Memento Mori: Remembrance of the Dead, November 2013
Sacred Art: The Imprint of God through Time — Style and Symbol Transcends Culture, History by Daniel Mitsui, September 2013
February 2011 Cover — Chi Rho – Manuscript illumination
February 2012 cover — The Presentation of the Child Jesus in the Temple
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