‘Cardinal at the Novemdiales’ depicts a kneeling cardinal, reduced to a minimal arrangement of colour and form.

A large red field forms the ceremonial vestment, while a few small white elements suggest the head, joined hands and feet. The disproportion between the oversized red garment and the small figure gives the composition an unusual sense of scale, allowing it to shift between abstraction and recognition.

The title refers to the Novemdiales, the nine days of mourning and liturgical observances following the death of the Pope.