From brainwaves and ripples to Helen of Troy and Orlan: the depiction and significance of salience

The averaging of waveforms necessary to detect small cortical evoked potentials which was pioneered by George Dawson, and the periodicity of component waves resulting from interference identified by Thomas Young, reveal selected components of the visual record to be diminished and others to be enhan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInterdisciplinary science reviews Vol. 48; no. 1; pp. 43 - 48
Main Author Schott, Geoffrey
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London, England Routledge 02.01.2023
SAGE Publications
Subjects
Averaging
Dawson
interference
Orlan
portraiture
salience
Young
Zeuxis
salience
Dawson
Zeuxis
Young
Orlan
Averaging
interference
portraiture
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Summary:The averaging of waveforms necessary to detect small cortical evoked potentials which was pioneered by George Dawson, and the periodicity of component waves resulting from interference identified by Thomas Young, reveal selected components of the visual record to be diminished and others to be enhanced and thus salient. Surprisingly, these examples of achieving salience in neurophysiology and physics were anticipated two millennia ago by the Greek artist Zeuxis. When commissioned to paint a portrait of Helen of Troy, Zeuxis used a not dissimilar method of selection which still resonates today in the carnal artistry of Orlan. These examples reveal the important contribution of graphic methods to the depiction and hence the significance of salience in both the sciences and the humanities.
ISSN:0308-0188
1743-2790
DOI:10.1080/03080188.2022.2047275