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

ABSTRACT 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.