Bellotto’s Dresden and Closeup (left) The people on the bridge in the distance look very finely detailed in View of Dresden with the Frauenkirche by Bernardo Bellotto (1720–1780). However, when you examine the detail closely (right), you discover that the people are made of brushstrokes merely suggesting people—an arm here, a torso there. Consciousness produces a similar impression of “filling in,” as it seems to consist of extreme detail even in areas that are peripheral (Dennett, 1991).

NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF ART/CORBIS