Contrapposto

Contrapposto (Italian for ‘counterpoise’) is a sculptural technique depicting humans resting their weight on one leg, with the other bent at the knee.

Developed by the Ancient Greeks, Contrapposto, an Italian term meaning "counterpoise," is used in the visual arts to describe a human figure standing with the majority of its weight on one foot. This posture causes the shoulders and arms to twist away from the hips and legs in the axial plane.