A pose, position, or arrangement that contrasts with or balances another pose, especially in art or dance.
From counter- + pose (from Latin pausare, to place or position). In Renaissance art and dance, 'counterpose' became a technical term for the balanced asymmetry that made figures appear dynamic.
Michelangelo and other Renaissance artists obsessively studied counterpose (also called contrapposto)—placing weight on one leg while the other bends creates a natural, energetic S-curve that makes static figures look alive and real rather than stiff.
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