X-radiograph(s) of "William Inman" 

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of "William Inman," after the original by Henry Inman. What are your first impressions? Editor: It looks like a star chart, or perhaps an odd sort of cellular structure. There’s something about the density of these dark spots against the flat gray background that is aesthetically intriguing. Curator: Indeed. Imaging technologies like X-radiography allow us to look at the underlying construction of artworks, raising questions about authenticity, restoration, and the very materiality of art objects. Editor: And I find that the act of looking through the surface disrupts my understanding of the portrait itself, reframing my understanding of the subject as well. Curator: Yes, it reminds us that the visible image is always supported by unseen structures and processes. Editor: I'll never look at a portrait in the same way again.