X-radiograph(s) of "Le Puits Noir" 

Editor: This is an X-radiograph of Gustave Courbet's "Le Puits Noir". It's fascinating to see a painting rendered in this way; the stark contrast reveals so much about the process. What do you make of the imagery here? Curator: It reveals the hidden layers, doesn't it? The underpainting and revisions, absent from the surface, become potent symbols of artistic struggle and evolution. What do you think the "well" might represent psychologically? Editor: Perhaps a descent into the subconscious? It’s interesting how the physical act of painting echoes that. Curator: Exactly! The visible marks become traces of memory and intention. Notice also the edges - what cultural narratives do the markings on the canvas's border suggest? Editor: They feel almost like archaeological markers now, revealing the painting's history. Curator: Indeed. It makes us consider the painting as a palimpsest, a site of continuous reworking and reinterpretation, culturally and artistically.