X-radiograph(s) of "Seascape, the Wreckers" 

Curator: At first glance, this X-radiograph appears abstract, almost like a minimalist grid. Editor: Indeed, but it is actually an X-radiograph of the painting "Seascape, the Wreckers", by Simon de Vlieger, held at the Harvard Art Museums. Looking closely, we see beneath the surface. Curator: And what a revealing surface it is! This technique exposes the layered history—the underpainting, the artist's revisions. One can almost feel the artist grappling with the composition. I see echoes of maritime disasters, shipwrecks, and the symbolism of human vulnerability against the power of nature. Editor: It's fascinating how technology allows us to peel back the layers, not just of the paint, but of artistic intention and perhaps, even the cultural context of its creation and subsequent preservation. Curator: It makes you consider the life of an artwork—its visible face and the secrets it keeps. Editor: And how our understanding evolves with new tools of observation.