In the 1930s, this would have felt radical. It still does. A room with plain walls and honest materials gets a jolt of warm red and a quiet, downturned face at the same time. The green ground behind the figure keeps that red from shouting, so the wall feels warmer rather than busier. Hang it in a bedroom above a chest of drawers, on a study wall behind a desk, or in a hallway where you pass it close up. It sits well with linen, wool, woven rugs, painted wood and stoneware in earthy colours. Keep the wall around it simple one strong pattern nearby, such as a bold rug or curtain print, is already enough competition. As a canvas the brushwork reads well at a larger size.