X-radiograph(s) of "Woman's Portrait beneath "Intrigue"" 

Curator: This haunting image is an X-radiograph of "Woman's Portrait beneath 'Intrigue'", attributed to Eugenio Lucas Velázquez, and it resides in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It’s ghostly. The layers create a sense of obscured history, a hidden face beneath a more visible one. Curator: Exactly! It is a great example of how technology lets us see into the material creation and alteration of an artwork. X-radiography reveals the underpainting. Editor: It shows how value and taste are not fixed. The canvas was a commodity that was reworked. That act of covering up a face speaks volumes about power dynamics in the art world. Curator: Indeed. And the spectral quality reminds us that art's reception is shaped by its journey through different hands and eras. Editor: It's a reminder that the story of a painting involves not just the artist's hand, but all the labor and cultural forces impacting its existence. Curator: Well said. It’s fascinating how this single image can provoke thoughts on process, economics, and the politics of the image.