X-radiograph(s) of "La Donna della Finestra" 

Editor: This is an X-radiograph of "La Donna della Finestra" by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, currently at the Harvard Art Museums. The ghostly image reveals so much about the artist's process. What do you see in this piece, beyond the visible image? Curator: What fascinates me is how this X-ray unveils the hidden labor. It shows not the idealized image, but the underpainting, the supports, the very material structure that enables the final artwork. It exposes the means of production. Editor: So, by looking at the process, we understand more about the finished artwork? Curator: Precisely. It shifts our focus from the romantic ideal to the material reality and labor involved, questioning those traditional hierarchies of art and craft. Editor: That's a really interesting way to view the work, looking past the surface. Curator: Indeed, it prompts us to consider the unseen aspects that contribute to the creation of art.