X-radiograph(s) of "Madonna and Child" 

Curator: What we're seeing here is an X-radiograph of "Madonna and Child," originally by Nicolò Rondinelli, housed at the Harvard Art Museums. Quite different from the finished painting, isn't it? Editor: Haunting, almost. It's like looking at a ghost of a masterpiece, a hidden truth exposed. The grid pattern gives it this strange, clinical feel. Curator: Exactly! X-radiography allows us to peek beneath the surface, to see the artist’s process, any underdrawings or alterations that might not be visible otherwise. It's about institutional transparency and our desire to know more. Editor: It makes me think about layers, both in the painting and in our understanding of it. Rondinelli's intentions, the physical reality of the materials, and then this almost invasive gaze of technology. Does seeing this change the painting? Curator: That's the question, isn't it? It definitely changes our access to it. The scientific approach clashes with the art’s aura. Yet this probing feels like a very modern impulse. Editor: Maybe seeing behind the veil brings us closer. I'm left wondering, what other secrets are hidden within these works? Curator: Indeed, it encourages us to appreciate the layers of history and the evolution of art itself.