X-radiograph(s) of "Harrison Gray" 

Curator: We're looking at an X-radiograph of "Harrison Gray," a painting by John Singleton Copley. Editor: It’s unnerving, like looking at a ghost. You see the subject, but also the process—the canvas, the strokes underneath. Curator: Exactly. X-radiography lets us analyze the materials and construction techniques Copley employed and how society was using the materials available at the time. Editor: It also shows how the artist built up the image, the layers of paint and the structure beneath. Did Copley use a particular type of canvas? What pigments were available? Curator: This reveals so much about the painting's journey through time and the colonial context it was created in. Editor: It makes you think about the labor involved, the physical act of painting, and the choices Copley made. Curator: It underscores art's existence as both an object and a cultural artifact. Editor: A fascinating glimpse beneath the surface.