The Aesthetics of X-Junctions: Cognitive Constraints in the Art of Continuous-Line Caricature

This article exposes cognitive constraints in production and percep-tion of caricatures drawn with one continuous line. Constraints in production enable an artist to overcome the complexity of connecting all individual line segments of a conventional caricature. Constraints in perception enable an audience to overcome the complexity of inferring three-dimensional edges and shapes from two-dimensional line segments. In both production and perception, constraints exploit Xjunctions where the continuous line meets itself in crossing and tangent configurations that contribute to the aesthetics of these artworks.