Hiroshi Nagai Explained

Hiroshi Nagai (Japanese: 永井博, born December 22, 1947) is a Japanese graphic designer and illustrator, known for his cover designs of city pop albums in the 1980s, which established the recognizable visual aesthetic associated with the loosely defined music genre.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Biography

Nagai was born on December 22, 1947, in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan.^{[5] [6]} He was inspired to become an artist by his father who enjoyed oil-painted landscapes. Later, Nagai traveled to Tokyo, where he attempted to join art school, in which he was rejected.^[7] After a visit to the United States and Guam in 1975, he was impressed by its scenery, which became the starting point of his subsequent style. Gaining an interest in pop art, he took inspiration from English artist David Hockney. Americana became a key component in his art.^[8]

Starting in the 1980s, he created tropical and clear landscape illustrations as typified by the record jackets of Eiichi Otaki's A Long Vacation and .

Nagai's work had an influence on the vaporwave style and gained wider recognition in the early 2020s,^[9] partially thanks to the YouTube era. In 2022, BroadwayWorld described him as a "legendary artist".^[10]

Notes and References

1. Blistein . Jon . May 2, 2019 . City Pop: Why Does the Soundtrack to Tokyo's Tech Boom Still Resonate? . February 3, 2023 . . en-US.
2. Russell . Stephen A. . September 24, 2020 . Dive into Japanese artist Hiroshi Nagai's pop art exhibition . February 3, 2023 . . en-AU.
3. Web site: Bloom . Madison . March 9, 2019 . Light in the Attic to Release Japanese "City Pop" Compilation . February 3, 2023 . . en-US.
4. Web site: Hiroshi Nagai: Paintings for Music at The Japan Foundation Gallery, Sydney . February 3, 2023 . . en.
5. Web site: NITEFLYTE – Hiroshi Nagai Art works . February 3, 2023 . Japanese Creative Bookstore . en-US.
6. Web site: Hiroshi Nagai: Paintings for Music . February 3, 2023 . The Japan Foundation, Sydney . en-AU.
7. Web site: 【対談】同じ道を、旅した2人の「時代と文化」（永井博 × 佐藤達郎）. 永井博 × デルフォニックス ｜ HIROSHI NAGAI × DELFONICS.
8. Web site: HIROSHI NAGAI: Japan's Sun-drenched Americana . August 10, 2023 . tokyo cowboy . en-US.
9. Web site: Raissi . Siavash . November 4, 2021 . Weekender: The revival of city pop: The soundtrack of 80s Japan . February 3, 2023 . . en.
10. Web site: Major . Michael . Light in the Attic to Release 'Pacific Breeze 3: Japanese City Pop, AOR & Boogie 1975-1987' . February 3, 2023 . . en.