“Eyes Full of Landscapes”: The Surreal Artworks of Naoto Hattori

Naoto Hattori is a visionary Japanese painter, celebrated worldwide for his intricate surrealist art.

Born in Yokohama in 1975, he studied graphic design in Tokyo before earning a BFA in illustration at New York’s School of Visual Arts. Hattori’s work combines influences from traditional Japanese culture, Buddhist philosophy, and surrealist masters like Dalí and Bosch, resulting in dreamlike worlds filled with strange hybrid creatures and biomorphic landscapes. He primarily paints in acrylic on small panels, a technical adaptation due to cervical spondylosis, which forced him to develop his miniature “floating” style using only the movement of his wrists and fingers. His fantastical beings, often wide-eyed and fuzzy, reflect the chaos, beauty, and unconscious imagery at the heart of human experience and lucid dreaming. Hattori has exhibited internationally in solo and group shows, earning awards from the Society of Illustrators, the New York Directors Club, and frequent publication in major art magazines.

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