The source of light, the gaze of the old man, and the lack of background draw the eyes off the page and away from the figure in the picture.

The dim light in this picture creates a more intimate feel to the subject. The position of the girl's head to her shoulder draws the eye to the center of the picture, keeping the focus directly on the figure.

The source of light comes from off the page which already draws the eye to its source. The curved walls accentuate this effect, while the horizontal lines increase it even more.

The arches in this picture seem to be trapping the lights, even though they are not the source of the light for the fixture. The arch at the top traps the eye on the page, while the smaller arch pulls the eye towards the bottom middle.