Rückenfigur

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There's a great German word for art where the subject has their back to the viewer and is facing away, looking at a scene.

Rückenfigur is derived from Rücken (back) and Figur (figure), which roughly translates to "figure seen from behind".

I love this style and am glad there's a single word to describe it. It adds a sense of mystery and wonder to the scene, inviting the viewer to imagine themselves in the moment.

I discovered this in a Sketchplanations article.

Some examples of Rückenfigur:

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