Summer Night

About this work

Dark copper and brass surfaces catch faint glimmers of silver foil, evoking the humid stillness of a summer night. The forms—shaped through forging and chasing—receive their deep, shadowed tones from chemical patination and flame oxidation rather than applied pigment, while a lacquer-and-paulownia base grounds the piece in quiet restraint. Drawing on remembered encounters with small creatures observed in childhood, the work distills a fleeting nocturnal moment into metal, fixing it as a still, enduring presence. Natsuyo (Summer Night) is a metal sculpture composed of copper, brass, silver, silver leaf, lacquer, and paulownia wood, measuring H260 × W150 × D90 mm. Within this compact scale, the work condenses the atmosphere of a summer night—humid darkness, the faint presence of insects, and the pale glow of moonlight on foliage. The subtle luster of silver leaf evokes nocturnal light, while the deep black of lacquer and the subdued tones of copper create layers of shadow. A paulownia base provides a quiet margin of space around the sculpture, presenting not just an object but an entire atmosphere. Harada forms each element through tankin (metal hammering and raising) and chokin (chasing with steel chisels on a pitch bed), joining components by TIG welding or silver brazing. No paint is used; all color derives from the metals themselves and their chemical reactions. The addition of lacquer introduces a depth of black that metal alone cannot achieve. As Harada states, he pursues expression obtained specifically through limiting himself to these materials. The interplay of silver leaf and lacquer shifts with viewing angle and light, so the piece reveals different nuances of nighttime luminance each time it is observed. Harada has said his work is completed only when viewers bring their own empathy to it—an invitation this sculpture quietly extends.