X-radiograph(s) of "Portrait of a Monk" 

Curator: Here we have an X-radiograph of "Portrait of a Monk," after Petrus Christus, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. It’s a ghostly peek beneath the surface. Editor: That's putting it mildly. It looks like a face caught in a strange, pixelated net, doesn’t it? Almost unsettling. Curator: It is, isn't it? X-radiography in art conservation reveals the hidden layers, the artist's process. It's about institutional transparency, too. Editor: Like excavating a secret. Suddenly, the act of seeing becomes…invasive. What's revealed isn't always what we expect. Curator: Precisely. This image, though scientific, prompts us to question how we view art, and even the very act of observation. Editor: Leaving me wondering about the soul, both of the monk and the painting itself. Food for thought, indeed.