22K gold leaf and ink on epoxied and etched stainless steel
18″ X 24″ (framed dimensions 20″ X 26″)
2022
Please note this painting is part of a triptych, the other two paintings can be found here and here.
$4850 (please email for purchasing info at greg (at) gregadunn.com.
Neurons Fluorescing in Green is framed in a custom selected moulding with antireflective and UV protective musuem glass. It also features a custom made metallic mat with the same reflective finish as the neurons in the piece.
From the first moment Dr. Shimomura discovered the iconic green fluorescent protein (GFP), biology and neuroscience have never been the same. Fluorescent proteins have become indispensable tools to identify, label, and study individual or specific sets of neurons and their functionality. They now come in a rainbow of colors from both natural and synthetic sources, massively expanding the molecular toolbox available to researchers around the world.
The painting “Neurons Fluorescing in Green” is a small field of pyramidal neurons and interneurons in the cortex, several of which are “labeled” with the fluorescent protein GFP (green fluorescent protein). When lit from above by a single or multiple white lights, this reflective “fluorescence” is activated by the reflective etching of the steel background which causes a subset of the neurons to glow. When off to the side, these neurons turn black as the light no longer reflects toward the viewer’s eye. The painting celebrates and reminds us of the power of these tools that enable the researcher to trace and identify specific neurons in a very crowded brain.
Please note that lighting is not included in the price. To get the most out of the painting, it should be lit by one or several white lights placed above the painting about 30 degrees off from the center (like the type of lighting you’d expect to see at an art gallery).
