noun
shadow picture; silhouette; shadowgraph
Refers to images created by shadows, such as hand shadows or shadow puppetry, or to silhouette art in general.
子供の頃、手で影絵を作って遊んだ。
When I was a child, I made shadow pictures with my hands and played.
壁に映った影絵がきれいだった。
The silhouette cast on the wall was beautiful.
シルエット is a loanword often used for fashion or design silhouettes, while 影絵 emphasizes the shadow-based image or art form.
Compound of 影 (kage, 'shadow') and 絵 (e, 'picture'). The exact historical origin is uncertain, but the word naturally describes pictures made from shadows.