X-radiograph(s) of "Baptism of Christ" 

Editor: This is an X-radiograph of Titian's "Baptism of Christ." The ghostly greyscale is quite striking. What can you tell us about how this process enhances our understanding of the painting? Curator: The X-radiograph, bereft of color, focuses our attention on the formal qualities of the painting's materiality. Observe the density variations; they reveal the artist's underpainting and revisions. Editor: Revisions? So we're seeing the artist's process, the evolution of the composition? Curator: Precisely. The pentimenti, or traces of earlier designs, are now laid bare. Consider the semiotic implications: the hidden becomes visible, the artist's intent, more transparent. Editor: Fascinating! It gives us a new perspective on the artist's decisions. Curator: Indeed. It prompts us to reconsider the relationship between the visible surface and the underlying structure of meaning in art.