The huge canvas, resembling a wall, is almost completely occupied by the shadows of an infant. The layered shadows are so realistic that for a moment, one might mistake them for the real thing. It is that moment that is crucial to the work’s operation. When we think the shadows are real, our minds perceive not a painting of shadows before us, but shadows projected on a large white wall, in other words the work itself consists of a pure white surface. In Takamatsu’s view, “art should come as close to nothingness as possible.” Here, he used shadows as a medium to erase the painting itself from the viewer’s consciousness.