Landscape of Dancing Butterflies

About this work

This wall-mounted work presents butterflies and Erigeron annuus (annual fleabane) rendered entirely in metal on a cedar board measuring 400 × 400 × 60 mm. Copper, brass, and silver are shaped through tankin (hammer-raising) to form slender stems, small petals, and the delicate wings of butterflies in flight. No paint is used; color comes from the inherent tones of different metals, their chemical reactions, and the addition of gold leaf, gold pigment (kindei), and urushi lacquer. Harada has stated that he aims for "expression achieved by limiting materials—not only forming shapes entirely in metal but also producing color through the chemical changes of metal itself." The cedar base contributes to the sense of open air and negative space that Harada considers essential. Erigeron annuus is a common roadside wildflower, and butterflies are among the most familiar creatures in daily life. By choosing these ordinary subjects, the work embodies Harada's conviction that beauty resides not only in what is obviously beautiful but also in the overlooked details of everyday scenes. The title, meaning "A Landscape Where Butterflies Dance," directs attention beyond individual motifs to the atmosphere of the scene itself—a fragment of childhood memory preserved in metal.