X-radiograph(s) of "Madame de Pompadour"

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of François Boucher’s "Madame de Pompadour," held here at the Harvard Art Museums. It's a ghostly glimpse beneath the surface. Editor: My first thought is how abstract it feels. The textures and tones, stripped of color and context, create a surprisingly modern composition. Curator: Indeed. Radiography allows us to see the canvas weave, the density of paint layers, and any hidden underdrawings. It reveals the artist's process, choices made and then covered over. Editor: So, in essence, this process makes visible the cultural meaning-making of the piece. What did Madame de Pompadour mean to Boucher? What did he want her to mean to France? Curator: Precisely! We see not only the material construction, but a kind of visual record of intention and reinvention. Editor: It’s a fascinating perspective. Seeing the bones of a masterpiece allows a new, more intimate understanding of the history beneath it. Curator: I agree entirely. It makes you reconsider what you see, and what you think you know about the artist's motivations.