Signed, titled, and dated at the top of the verso.

The surface of the artwork shows signs of discoloration, dot-shaped stain marks, spotting, and thin cracks that have developed over time due to aging.
Additionally, there are paint peeling marks on the corners and edges of the artwork.

Takamatsu Jiro (1936–1998) is widely recognized as one of the members of the avant-garde art collective Hi-Red Centre, which embodied "direct action" towards society through art in the 1960s. The group gained prominence with activities such as the "Yamanote Line Incident" (1962) and the "Champaign to Promote Cleanliness and Order in the Metropolitan Area" (1964). Working independently under his own name, Takamatsu produced a diverse body of work spanning paintings, sculptures, prints, and photography. His oeuvre consistently reflects an intellectual approach, posing rigorous questions about "objects imbued with emptiness," phenomena that defy straightforward comprehension.

In 1964, Takamatsu began creating the Shadow series, exploring the theme of "absence/presence." The artwork Shadow of Brush No.182 (1967) is one of the works from this series and exemplifies his unique artistic language. The painting depicts only the shadow of a brush extending from an actual hook affixed to the surface. By rendering on canvas the shadows of a brush - an object that does not physically exist within the painted scene - cast by two light sources onto the wall, the work evokes the form of the brush without depicting the object itself. By manipulating the ambiguity of "seeing," Takamatsu challenges the viewer to question the reliability of existence and perception.

Tokyo Gallery, Tokyo