Where edges are lost, the same value and color carries over from one subject/shape to the next. Allowing some edges to be lost, an artist can create a sense of mystery in an image, leaving the actual contours of the subject/shape open to interpretation. The viewer is not given complete information, so either the viewer's imagination comes into play, or the viewer can dwell in the mystery. Lost edges can also indicated a connectedness of subjects/shapes, with one flowing into another.

Featured: William M. Chase, N. A. by John Singer Sargent.