Foreshortening

Foreshortening, a term in Painting or Drawing, applied to signify that a figure, or a portion of a figure, which is intended to be viewed by the spectator directly or nearly in front, is so represented as to convey the notion of its being projected forward; and, though by mere comparative measurement occupying a much smaller space on the surface, yet to give the same idea of length or size as if it had been projected laterally.