X-radiograph(s) of "Pieta" 

Curator: Here we have an X-radiograph of "Pieta", after Rogier van der Weyden, housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Well, immediately, it's ghostly. The X-ray medium gives it an ethereal quality, emphasizing process over the final image itself. Curator: Absolutely. The use of X-radiography serves to demystify the artistic process, exposing the unseen layers beneath the surface. Consider the cultural implications of revealing the underpainting. Editor: Indeed, it is a way to analyze the materiality, the means of production, and, frankly, the labor embedded within it. What can the underpainting reveal? Curator: It can expose the artist’s initial intentions, changes made during the execution, and even information about the materials used. Editor: By interrogating the material history, we gain greater appreciation for not only the artmaking, but the cultural significance this image held, and still holds. Curator: It invites us to consider the evolving role of art, its purpose, and the stories we project onto it. Editor: A fascinating glimpse, indeed.