Pacific Breeze 3 (section)

A cloudless blue sky, three towering palm trees, and a still swimming pool set the scene for what looks like an endless summer afternoon. Hiroshi Nagai painted this in 1980, and it shows all the trademarks of his style: crisp shapes, flat unbroken colors, and a sunny quiet that feels almost too perfect to be true. A pink house with a small striped awning sits beside a pale green building, while the calm sea drifts out to a distant horizon, giving the whole thing the feel of a vacation postcard from a place that exists mostly in daydreams.

Born in Japan, Nagai became the artist most closely tied to city pop, the bright and breezy Japanese music that took off in the 1970s and 80s. His paintings decorated many album covers and helped create a lasting mood of longing for sunshine, ease, and warm seaside towns. He drew ideas from real trips to California and the Mediterranean, yet you will notice his scenes almost never include people. Empty lounge chairs and silent walls give the work a dreamlike, slightly lonely air, as though you turned up just after the crowd left.

These images have found a whole new audience online, where younger fans have embraced their retro warmth. This painting is a good example of that appeal. Rather than spinning a big story, it hands you a simple offering: a pocket of calm where you might picture the lapping of the waves and the heat of the afternoon sun.