Light — Science & Magic, 6th Edition

THE EXTREMES 245

Notice that the large light above the subject also lls the family of angles

that produces direct reection on the glossy acrylic. erefore, the back-

ground is no longer black. Because you saw that so quickly, you probably

also remember that we said earlier that the background had to stay black.

We would like to talk our way out of this apparent discrepancy by

pointing out that the brain needs to see a black background in simple black-

on-black scenes. e subject, background, and reection of the subject add

up to a more complex scene. We maintain that the black reection under

the subject is a sucient visual clue to tell the brain that the surface is black

but glossy and reecting light. So this is still a black-on-bl