X-radiograph(s) of "Young Man" 

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of "Young Man," attributed to Peter Paul Rubens, and part of the collection at the Harvard Art Museums. What is your impression of it? Editor: It's ghostly and yet incredibly revealing! It feels like peering into the soul of both the young man and Rubens himself, layers upon layers. Curator: Indeed. What’s fascinating is this X-ray film, measuring 14 by 8, strips bare the materiality of art production. You see the wood grain, the underpainting, revealing the process. Editor: The grain almost feels like time itself etching its presence onto the portrait. And those stark contrasts! It's like a hidden conversation between the artist and the materials. Curator: Precisely. This reveals the labor and the decisions behind a seemingly effortless portrait. Editor: There’s a strange beauty in seeing the unseen infrastructure, isn’t there? It adds depth to the viewing experience. Curator: It forces us to question the final "product" and consider the layers of creation. Editor: Absolutely. I will certainly never look at a painting by Rubens the same way again. What a clever idea, using X-radiography in this way. Curator: It makes us think differently about the nature of art and the labor and materials that constitute it.