Something I always thought was interesting is that in art there is more than one type of line. In general, because humans can perceive things in both abstract and literal ways without batting an eye, we tend to just see things as regular old lines. First of all, there are actual lines. An actual line is actually just a line. Showing contour, volume summary, and organization are all part of "actual line" and are what we think of as kindergarteners. One of my absolute favorite examples of actual line from Launching the Imagination is Hand by Rico Lebrun (p. 4). However, I think this sketch art of Bambi shows the best combination of contour, volume summary, and organization.
Then of course, we have implied lines. Mary Stewart says that "given enough clues, we will connect separate visual parts by filling in the missing pieces" in Launching the Imagination. This is an excellent summary of what implied lines are trying to do. An artist wants to create a story or idea without completely just drawing an arrow straight to the conclusion. (That would be so shallow and way too easy, not to mention ugly.) It's easy to find implied line in classical art, because generally, paintings have a nice "flow" to them - a.k.a. they follow an imaginary line. For example, the implied line of the bodies in Gericault's gorgeous painting, The Raft of the Medusa...
So there you have it, the "surprise" element of line. :)
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