X-radiograph(s) of "Adoration" 

Editor: This is an X-radiograph of "Adoration" by Jan Steen. It's fascinating to see the layers beneath the visible painting. What does this type of radiographic analysis reveal about the artist's process? Curator: The radiographic image disrupts our conventional understanding of pictorial space. Note how the density of the paint application translates into tonal variations, creating a new compositional arrangement. The underpainting emerges as a skeletal structure, revealing Steen’s modifications and adjustments. Editor: So, the visible canvas we see is just one layer of a more complex creation? Curator: Precisely. The formal elements of composition, line, and value are reimagined through this scientific lens, inviting us to reconsider the materiality and construction of the artwork itself. Editor: It's like a map of the painting’s evolution. This has given me a totally new way of seeing underlayers, thank you. Curator: Indeed, a deconstruction that reveals new aesthetic dimensions.