Takako Yamaguchi

I went to an artist talk given by Takako Yamaguchi at Jan Baum Gallery yesterday, sponsored by the Southern California Women's Caucus for Art. I love Takako's work, and it was great to be able to hear her talk about her process and some of the philosophy behind her concept.

The thing that really struck me was something that Jan said. She described Takako as taking decorative art to a new level, and then said that decorative art used to be a pejorative term. My ears perked up. Used to be? Jan said that since Matisse, decorative art has been accepted as a legitimate form of fine art.

Huh! You could have fooled me. Some people still dismiss my paintings because they're decorative. I'll have to use the example of Matisse next time that comes up. Jan said that decorative simply means beautiful -- art that is wonderfully beautiful.