The phrase "act as a counterpoint" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe something that contrasts with or provides a different perspective to another element, often in discussions of art, music, or literature.
Example: "In her latest novel, the protagonist's struggles act as a counterpoint to the idyllic life of her best friend."
Alternatives: "serve as a contrast" or "function as a foil".
Meanwhile, Darren's reminiscences of his relationship with Becky act as a counterpoint to Clover's fantasies, gradually revealing to the reader the truth about Becky's life and death.
At the park's other end, a series of glittering towers would act as a counterpoint to the downtown skyline, visually connecting the eastern and western parts of the city.
Opera for designers is often the ultimate expressive canvas, and as a performance art form there is an expectation of a visual language to complement or act as a counterpoint to the music.
Massive Attack, led by Robert Del Naja, who proposed the idea to Curtis, seem more than happy to act as a counterpoint to that synthesising effort, breathing life into the Jesus and Mary Chain's Just Like Honey, for example, while a supersize Jane Fonda works out, or providing a pitch-perfect version of the Shirelles' Baby It's You while the Taliban destroy images of "every living thing".
This involves body features that act as a counterpoint to other body features.
Williams' portrayal of the role was intended to act as a counterpoint to Jerry Hardin's portrayal of X's predecessor, Deep Throat.
7. Jaded older police officer Acts as a counterpoint to a younger, more energetic white police officer.
As the late comedian told Australian BirdLife magazine in 2012, birdwatching gave him perspective on the world and acted as a counterpoint to his working life in comedy.
He served as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, where he acted as a counterpoint to Gov. Meldrim Thomson, a conservative Republican who opposed an income tax.
This is something he has been exploring for over a decade: a purist approach to colour and form that acts as a counterpoint to his figurative pictures.
Kass's compositional inventiveness shows particularly in city scenes, where the tapering blade acts as a counterpoint to the slanting perspectives of streets and buildings.
