X-radiograph(s) of "Old Man" 

Curator: This fascinating object is an X-radiograph of "Old Man," attributed to Jan Lievens, housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: My first impression is that it's incredibly eerie. The grid-like structure imposed on the ghostly image of the painting creates a sense of fragmented memory, like looking through bars. Curator: Indeed. The radiographic technique reveals the layered history beneath the surface, a sort of archaeology of the artist's process. We see the underpainting, the evolution of Lievens' vision, made visible through modern technology. Editor: The juxtaposition of the unseen layers exposed through radiography with the visible painted surface speaks to the very nature of time and artistic creation. What do you make of that? Curator: For me, the image evokes the timelessness of age, and how the image of the "Old Man" itself might symbolize the wisdom of the ages, now filtered through the lens of scientific analysis. Editor: It's a striking reminder that even the most solid-seeming artworks contain hidden depths and stories, waiting to be uncovered. Curator: Exactly, a potent reminder that art history is a continuous dialogue between past and present.