X-radiograph(s) of "Banished Lord (copy)" 

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of a copy of Sir Joshua Reynolds's "Banished Lord," housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The ghostly image of the canvas beneath the paint layers is striking. It gives it an ethereal feel, almost like looking at a memory. Curator: Indeed. The radiography reveals the unseen labor involved in producing this work, allowing us to explore the materiality of painting itself. Editor: It makes me think about the social implications of copies. Why reproduce this particular portrait? What statement was being made by it? Curator: Perhaps it speaks to the democratizing of art, making imagery once reserved for the elite accessible to a wider audience. Editor: Or maybe it reinforces existing power structures by perpetuating specific images and narratives. Food for thought! Curator: Absolutely, it highlights how art operates within material constraints and social contexts. I appreciate its power!