Selected views of the unvarnished paint surface of Braque's small still life seen through the microscope at 20x magnification. Examining a painting through the microscope can be like looking into another world. The surface of this picture, in particular, resembles a Martian landscape, with craters in the green paint (formed by air bubbles in the wet paint) and 'boulders' of sand mixed throughout. In reality, the microscope is an important aid in learning about an artist's materials and working methods as well as understanding an artwork's state of preservation. 'Pot d'Etain et Assiette de Fruits' is part of the permanent collection and is now on view at the Phillips. Photos: Patricia Favero