X-radiograph(s) of "Portrait of a Youth" 

Curator: Here we have an X-radiograph of "Portrait of a Youth" after Corneille de Lyon, a glimpse beneath the surface of the artwork. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: Ghostly! Like a memory struggling to surface. It's odd seeing art stripped down to its bare bones—or, I guess, its bare pigments. Curator: Indeed. The X-radiograph allows us to see the underlayers, the artist's process, and any changes made. It offers insight into the materiality of art production itself. Editor: It makes me wonder about the hidden stories—what lies beneath our carefully constructed surfaces, both in art and in ourselves. It’s surprisingly revealing. Curator: Absolutely, the power dynamics inherent in portraiture, class, and the gaze are all present, but transformed through the lens of this scientific process. It subverts the traditional role of art. Editor: Seeing it this way, it flips the script. It's not just about who's being portrayed, but about how we look at art and what we expect to see. I appreciate that subversion.