At 4pm, the portrait turns from nice idea to main character. The light drops, the mustard yellow warms up and the grey background stops being background. It gives a flat, quiet wall a face and a bit of wit, without shouting. Hang it at eye level on a chimney breast, above a low sideboard, or on a narrow stretch of hallway wall where people pass close to it. It sits happily with mid-century teak, tan leather, wool cushions and simple matt ceramics in grey or green. Keep the wall around it plain and let the chequered cap do the work. Don’t crowd it with busy pattern, heavy florals or fussy ornament on the same wall. As canvas the brushy paint texture reads more like the original painting.