repoussoir

[ ruh-poo-swahr ]

noun

, Painting.

1. a figure or object in the extreme foreground: used as a contrast and to increase the illusion of depth.

Word History and Origins

Origin of repoussoir¹

1870–75; < French, equivalent to repouss ( er ) to push back ( repoussé ) + -oir -ory ²

Example Sentences

The hitch: A repoussoir figure is a kind of stand-in for the audience, who is also peering into the scene.

From Los Angeles Times

Repoussoir figures such as this one are commonly used in art to direct a viewer’s attention into a visually complicated scene.

From Los Angeles Times

A so-called repoussoir figure, he turns to look over his shoulder directly at us.

From Los Angeles Times

Some of his most delectable paintings, such as The Cornfield, 1826, rely on the Claudean use of dark repoussoir trees framing a view of bright space at the center, and this can make them too charming to a modern eye.

From Time Magazine Archive

There was no rain; there was only, all the afternoon, a mild, moist wind and a sky magnificently black; which made a repoussoir for the paler cliffs of the fountain.

From Project Gutenberg