X-radiograph(s) of "Mlle de Gottignes" 

Editor: This is an X-radiograph of "Mlle de Gottignes" after Anthony van Dyck, from the Harvard Art Museums. It's a stark, ghostly image. What can we learn by analyzing this X-ray? Curator: The radiographic image offers a structural reading of the painting, exposing its materiality and compositional underpinnings. Note the contrasting densities, revealing the artist's process of layering and revising. Editor: So, it's less about the artistic expression and more about the physical components? Curator: Precisely. We see the painting as a constructed object, an interplay of forms defined by their material properties and their arrangement within the frame. The brushstrokes, visible as variations in density, underscore the artist’s hand. Editor: It’s fascinating to see art broken down into its basic structure. Curator: Indeed, it reframes our understanding of the artwork, urging us to consider its physical presence as fundamental to its aesthetic impact.