repoussoir

Davis suspends the aerial diver in space, a repoussoir figure designed to visually lead us into the scene.

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

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

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

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.