Edges

[Karin Wells]

Here's a "quickie" example from a detail of a painting by Vermeer.

Note how the line of the models back in the foreground gets "lost" in the horizontal bar that is part of the background.

A lost edge is an illusion meant to fool the eye. Because the viewer knows where the line of her back is meant to be, it isn't really necessary to "see" the presence of that edge to understand what is happening.

"Found" edges are easy to spot. They look a little bit like "cut outs" that are pasted on (note the well defined "found" edge on the upper back that is above the "lost" one).