A red book, held loosely between two fingers - alongside the hat, the only bold splash of colour in this very tranquil portrait. William Strang painted the seated woman in 1918, focusing entirely on her figure: a dark green dress, yellow fabric draped over her knees, and behind her a grey, almost motionless wall. The wide-brimmed hat casts a soft shadow over the upper half of her face, from which her gaze nevertheless looks out directly. This is precisely what gives the painting its intimacy: Nothing distracts the eye, everything remains veiled, and that is precisely why the red accent carries so far.
It is in this shadow cast by the hat that the print must prove itself - and the satin-finished Leonardo canvas renders it with astonishing finesse: The transition from the shaded olive tone of the forehead to the pale pink of the cheek flows smoothly, without any abrupt breaks, and the eyes retain their definition beneath the brim. The red book, too, stands out clearly against the yellow fabric, with a sharp edge where it rests in the hand. Compared to the original, the motif appears mirror-inverted here. The 35 x 46 cm canvas, mounted on a stretcher frame, requires no additional frame - which, in my opinion, works well, as nothing competes with the hat and the figure. A pin-back hanger is attached to the back.
A understated image that thrives on a single colour scheme - and depending on how the light in the room falls across the silky surface, sometimes the hat, sometimes the little red book glows a little more brightly. This keeps the composition lively without making it feel restless.