X-radiograph(s) of "Birth of Bacchus" 

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of Nicolas Poussin’s "Birth of Bacchus", currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. It offers a glimpse beneath the surface, quite literally. Editor: It looks like a stormy sea. Turbulent. What does this process of looking beneath the surface reveal about the hand of the artist and perhaps their process? Curator: X-radiography allows us to examine the underlayers, the pentimenti, the material choices. We can see how Poussin built up the composition, reworked certain areas, and perhaps even identify pigments. Editor: So it reveals not just the final statement, but the thinking, the wrestling, the messy humanity that goes into a so-called masterpiece? I find that deeply reassuring. Curator: Exactly. It democratizes the process, showing the labour involved, and bringing the artist down to earth. Editor: It’s fascinating how a scientific process can unlock such intimate artistic secrets. It leaves me pondering what other hidden depths await discovery in the art we admire.