A cluster of three gnarled oaks with rust and burnt-orange foliage stands just left of center in an open field, with smaller trees and low scrub scattered along a hazy horizon on both sides. The horizon sits about a third of the way up, leaving a soft blue-grey sky to fill the upper two-thirds, dominated by a billowing cumulus cloud that seems to glow from behind. In the foreground, a still, dark pond or wet lowland picks up the sky's reflection.

Soft overcast light casts no hard shadows. The palette of dusty slate blue, aged ivory, burnt sienna, umber and faded terracotta feels deep and earthy.

In the manner of a Barbizon-school oil painting, the sky is softly blended while the foliage is built from thicker impasto dabs. A fine network of age cracks and a hazy varnish glow give the surface the look of a centuries-old canvas.