X-radiograph(s) of "Head of Saint Stephen" 

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of "Head of Saint Stephen", originally by Cima da Conegliano. It's held in the Harvard Art Museums. Stark, isn’t it? Editor: My first thought is that it looks almost ghostly, like a shrouded memory trying to surface. The nails around the edges are rather jarring. Curator: They’re functional, of course, part of the process. But you’re right; they give a sense of constraint, of something being held down. It highlights the hidden layers beneath the surface of a completed artwork. Editor: We often think of art as this seamless creation, but this reveals the unseen support, literally and metaphorically, the underpainting, the canvas itself. Curator: Indeed. X-radiography unveils the artist's process, pentimenti, all the decisions made and unmade. It challenges our perception of artistic mastery. Editor: It's also strangely intimate, seeing the bones of the painting, its skeletal structure. Makes me wonder what secrets all paintings hold. Curator: A peek behind the curtain, if you will. It definitely provides a new lens through which to appreciate not only the final image but also the journey it took to get there. Editor: Precisely, it really makes you consider the story, even for an artwork that's not even there on its own.