X-radiograph(s) of "Man with a High hat" 

Curator: Before us is an X-radiograph of "Man with a High Hat," after Corneille de Lyon, housed at the Harvard Art Museums. Its film size measures 7 by 10 inches. Editor: Immediately, I’m struck by the materiality; it reads like a ghostly portrait emerging from a grid. You can sense the layers of paint and canvas. Curator: Indeed, the radiographic technique unveils the artwork's hidden composition and material structure. Observe the contrasts in density—the hat, the lace collar, the face itself. Editor: It raises questions about authenticity and the artistic process. What does it tell us about the artist’s technique and the labor involved in creating this portrait? I wonder about the availability of the tech used to reveal the original art piece. Curator: It speaks to the nature of representation itself, doesn’t it? A portrait beneath a portrait revealed by the intervention of technology. Editor: A powerful reminder that art objects are not simply aesthetic, but results of complex processes. Curator: Precisely, a fascinating intersection of art and technology.