X-radiograph(s) of "Still Life With Commode" 27-Jul-11

Curator: Here we have an X-radiograph of Paul Cézanne's "Still Life With Commode," from the collection of the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Immediately, there’s this ghostly quality, a kind of unveiling. It feels like a secret whispered from beneath the visible surface. Curator: Precisely. The X-ray reveals the underpainting, Cézanne's process, the layers of adjustments and revisions that went into creating the final composition. Editor: The fruit, especially, seems to hover. It’s fascinating to see how forms emerge from this almost chaotic network of lines and densities. It's like watching the thoughts behind the brushstrokes. Curator: It gives you a sense of his struggle with form, his obsessive quest to capture the essence of things. Editor: Knowing how intentionally awkward Cézanne could be, it's fun to see that even beneath the surface, that quest for something different shows. Curator: Indeed, it's a glimpse into the artist's mind, a testament to the labor involved in creating what appears to be a simple still life. Editor: Right. It shifts how I think about the original work. It's like seeing a building's foundation for the first time.