Editing Contrapposto (section)

{{Short description|Sculptural disposition of human figure}}
{{Italic title}}
[[File:Chiasmo Contrapposto-Canone Canon policleteo (2of3pages)-scheme-diagram-photo Paolo Villa 2024 CC BY-SA 4.0 (and italian Law & MiC)- Doryphoros by Polykleitos, photo-scheme-diagram.pdf|thumb|A marble copy of [[Polykleitos]]' ''[[Doryphoros]]'', an early example of classical ''contrapposto''.]]
[[File:Chiasmo Contrapposto-Canone Canon policleteo (3pages)-scheme-diagram-photo Paolo Villa 2024 CC BY-SA 4.0 (and italian Law & MiC)- Doryphoros by Polykleitos, photo-scheme-diagram.pdf|thumb|[[S-curve (art)]]]]

{{lang|it|'''Contrapposto'''}} ({{IPA|it|kontrapˈposto}} 'counterpoise'), in the [[visual arts]], is a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot, so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs in the [[axial plane]].

First appearing in [[Ancient Greece]] in the early 5th century [[Common Era|BCE]], ''contrapposto'' is considered a crucial development in the history of [[Ancient Greek art]] (and, by extension, [[Art of Europe|Western art]]), as it marks the first time in Western art that the human body is used to express a psychological disposition. The style was further developed and popularized by sculptors in the [[Hellenistic Art|Hellenistic]] and [[Roman Empire|Imperial Roman]] periods, fell out of use in the [[Middle Ages]], and was later revived during the [[Renaissance]]. [[Michelangelo]]'s statue of ''[[David (Michelangelo)|David]]'', one of the most iconic sculptures in the world, is a famous example of ''contrapposto''.