X-radiograph(s) of "Gov. Bowdoin as a Boy" 

Curator: Here we have an X-radiograph of "Gov. Bowdoin as a Boy", attributed to John Smibert. It's a fascinating look beneath the surface, isn't it? Editor: It is ghostly! The cracking, the strange luminosity… it feels like peering into the past, a history etched in layers. Curator: Exactly! The X-ray reveals the painting's construction, the material decisions made. You can almost feel the labor involved. Editor: The hand of the artist, the mixing of paints, the very canvas itself—transformed into a new kind of portrait. It’s a portrait of time, isn't it? Curator: Precisely. And perhaps even a reflection on how we choose to see, and what we choose to look beneath. Editor: I agree, it is a deep and unexpected portrait.