Veteran Los Angeles artist Takako Yamaguchi is challenging conventional approaches to seascape painting through a unique methodology she calls "abstraction in reverse." Currently featured in a focus exhibition of 10 recent paintings at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Yamaguchi subverts traditional landscape painting by beginning with abstract shapes rather than natural observations to construct her serene oceanic compositions.

Unlike traditional seascape artists who draw inspiration from the natural world, Yamaguchi takes the opposite approach by recognizing that early European and American Modernists derived their geometric and organic forms from nature. She reverses this process, using abstract shapes as building blocks to create calm seascapes characterized by horizon lines that bisect each composition into two equal sections. Over these foundational elements, she superimposes additional abstract imagery that reflects her deep appreciation for pattern, decoration, fashion, and her personal concept of beauty, many of which carry symbolic associations.

One of the exhibition's standout pieces, "Stitch" (2023), demonstrates Yamaguchi's innovative technique through its layered composition. A brown rectangle suggests the presence of a beachfront, while the ocean is divided into horizontal registers composed of undulating lines and interlocking zigzag patterns. Perhaps most strikingly, traditional cloud formations have been replaced by an expansive braid that, as noted by museum wall text, recalls close-up views of feminized materials such as hair or fabric. This approach creates compositions where abstract and figurative elements remain easily distinguishable yet coexist peacefully as separate worlds representing both nature and culture.

Yamaguchi's artistic vocabulary draws extensively from diverse cultural sources, incorporating architectural columns, fountains, and geometric patterns derived from historical Japanese art forms including ukiyo-e prints and traditional folding screens. This multicultural influence is particularly evident in "Trap" (2024), where swirling cloud formations inhabit the sky while rhythmic waves spiral in the center, creating an effect reminiscent of the codependent halves of a yin-yang symbol. Similarly, "Accomplice" (2025) features two Greek columns that have been whimsically anthropomorphized to appear as if they are embracing or snuggling together.

The artist demonstrates her strongest creative vision when allowing her imagination to run completely free, particularly evident in her fantastic biomorphic creatures that appear to have emerged from ocean depths. These imaginative beings block viewers' sight lines to distant horizons, functioning as hybrid forms that merge architectural motifs with feminine symbols such as flowing hair or womb-like shapes. The vibrant, energetic biomorphs featured in "Guide" (2023), "Pilot" (2024), and "Plenum" (2024) dominate entire foregrounds, commanding attention like performers on a theatrical stage while the seascape behind them functions as a scenic backdrop.

These delightfully surreal creatures evoke strong associations with Japanese anime and classic horror films, adding layers of pop culture reference to Yamaguchi's work. In contrast, the decorative structures featured in "Procession" and "Font" (both created in 2024) function more like gateways or portals through which viewers can imagine journeying across the painted waters, offering a different kind of interaction between viewer and artwork.

By successfully melding abstraction with figuration through her idiosyncratic artistic language that draws equally from Euro-American Modernism, Japanese woodblock printing traditions, and contemporary pop culture, Yamaguchi effectively liberates herself from traditional artistic distinctions. Her approach results in fresh, innovative compositions that manage to be simultaneously serene and animated, offering viewers a completely new way to experience and understand seascape painting.

"MOCA Focus: Takako Yamaguchi" continues at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, located at 250 South Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, through January 4, 2026. The exhibition has been curated by Anna Katz and Emilia Nicholson-Fajardo, showcasing Yamaguchi's revolutionary approach to one of art's most traditional genres.