I remember reading somewhere, maybe in an essay by John Updike, that Abstract Expressionists like Jackson Pollock, who aimed to produce purely nonrepresentational paintings, had to be careful that face-like figures did not appear in their works unintentionally. They wanted to create art that had aesthetic value without recognizable images, and the effect they were seeking would be destroyed by an accidental smiley face or two among the vigorous brush strokes and dripped paint.