The Red Headscarf 1926

Ipolit Strambu painted ‘The Red Headscarf’ with what seems like a desire to explore how colour can convey a mood. The reds are not just red, they’re tinged with a melancholic brown, and the blues are muted, as if seen through a rainy window. Looking at the texture, you can almost feel the give and take of the brush, the way the paint sits on the canvas in little peaks and valleys. See how the red headscarf dominates the composition, yet it is so flat compared to the rest of the painting? It is this flatness that brings a sense of introspection. It reminds me of the work of Vuillard, where figures blend into their surroundings, becoming part of the fabric of domestic life. Strambu invites us into a quiet space of reflection, where the act of seeing becomes a meditation on colour and form.