X-radiograph(s) of "The Cook" 

Curator: This is an x-radiograph of "The Cook," a painting attributed to Pieter Aertsen, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. The lack of color gives it a ghostly appearance. Editor: It certainly does. Seeing this almost skeletal version—the artist's hand laid bare—makes me think of the unseen labor behind domestic roles traditionally assigned to women. Curator: The x-ray reveals the underpainting, the initial blocking in of forms. It’s fascinating to trace Aertsen's process, to see how he constructed the image layer by layer. Editor: And the image of a cook, typically a woman, reduces her to a series of strokes and gestures... almost objectifying her anew. It reflects broader social structures. Curator: It reveals the artist's process and also how paintings age and the materials used to create them. Editor: This x-ray encourages us to think about not only the artist's hand, but the social forces shaping representation. Curator: Absolutely. It's a reminder that art is a product of labor, skill, and the materials at hand. Editor: And a product of its cultural context. It’s striking how much this one image can communicate.