By Caroline Plocki

Famous for his electric colour pallet and two-dimensional compositions, Japanese artist Hiroshi Nagai channels the cool and calm of the California aesthetic when crafting his minimal universe. Themes of summer are evident through his depictions of vibrant beaches, palm trees and dazzling swimming pools that transport viewers to the Golden State circa 1950. In the 80’s, Nagai’s serene paintings of California became the face of ‘City Pop’: a genre of music that likewise reflects the artist’s ode to California by facilitating a sense of Anemoia—the feeling of nostalgia for a time you’ve never known—within the audience. The timelessness of Nagai’s art enmeshed with the sunny, soft-rock ballads of the music inspires a sense of escapism to this saturated past for viewers and listeners alike.

Born in 1947 in the countryside of Tokushima, Japan, Nagai discovered the medium of painting by watching his father create oil paintings as a hobby. Nagai’s introduction to the art scene is attributed to part-time jobs painting and creating film sets, stages, and backdrops for television productions. A 40 day vacation to California in 1973 prompted a vacation to Guam the following year, and were the catalysts to the inspiration behind Nagai’s signature style. His proper breakthrough came in the early 80’s while working for King Terry’s music studio, where his distinct artistic approach illustrated numerous City Pop albums and eventually became the face of the trendy movement.

City Pop, a style of music defined by its fluorescent amalgamation of R&B, funk, yacht rock, disco and lounge music, is the soundtrack to Japan’s economic revival in the 80’s. Simultaneously a consequence and celebration of modernity emerging during a time where Japanese citizens were increasingly enjoying imported goods and international travel, City Pop’s music and artwork showcasing the Americana lifestyle was immensely coveted by the masses. It comes as no surprise that Nagai held celebrity status at the climax of the movement as a result of his work being the visual representation of City Pop—the happy, synthetic tunes together with Nagai’s sun-drenched scenes emulate the splendor of California’s easy living, and how this lifestyle could be experienced driving through Tokyo, too, when listening to this music.

The retro universe so magically created by Nagai is borne from inspiration drawn from a plethora of artistic styles identified over the decades. Nagai recalls his curiosity in Surrealist art, most specifically the works of Rene Magritte and Salvador Dalí. Nagai undeniably interprets the surrealist quality of ‘dream-like scenes’ in his work through his serene seaside depictions. His version of seaside depictions—a ‘dream’ for those living far from California—opposes the typical juxtaposition of ambiguous objects composing the dream-like scenes of Magritte and Dalí’s works.

The style that was the most inspirational for Nagai, however, was Pop Art. The era of Pop Art was another highly-saturated movement that began in the 50’s where artists like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Richard Hamilton transformed the depiction of everyday objects into mass-produced works of art. The ethos of the movement aimed to comment on the affluence and leisure associated with the materialism and consumerism of people during this time. In an interview with Kaput Magazine, Nagai reminisces on the movement, noting how he took influence from the way “American paintings at that time were crisp and dry in their approach to scenery,” and ultimately concluding that “without American pop art I would not have to start painting the way I did.” Nagai’s bright colours and sharp compositions—created for music albums readily available for purchase—embraces the tenants of the infamous artistic era while still retaining his signature touch.

Though Nagai’s artwork secured him a particular niche in the Japanese art scene and general society, in the greater world another artist also famously drew inspiration from the mid-century West Coast aesthetic—David Hockney. British born Hockney mesmerizes viewers with the same colourful, crisp, laid-back compositions of California—albeit a less vibrant version compared to Nagai’s pieces. Nagai and Hockney’s greatest moment for comparison is evident through the similarities found in Hockney’s A Bigger Slpash (1967). Examining their work in tandem, the same use of negative space, a flat dimension, and not a single cloud in the blue skies evokes a feeling of tranquility from the audience.

Hiroshi Nagai’s visual production of a new Americana and City Pop’s cultural reset defined this niche part of history as one encompassing the cosmopolitan dream. Coinciding with Japan’s economic boom, the escape to California that Nagai’s artwork visually bestowed transported viewers and listeners to a retro paradise. The accumulation of inspiration from a plethora of artists helped Nagai hone a unique artistic style that became the face of a movement in music, and his legacy lives on through the revival of City Pop on social media pioneered by the vintage lovers who dream of what it was like to be young and in Tokyo listening to the music and for a moment escape to the sunshine, too.

ST. ART Magazine does not own the rights to any images used in this article.