Two tall masses of dark oak and birch stand at the left and right edges like stage curtains, opening onto a clearing at dusk. A faint footpath crosses a dark mossy meadow toward a small still pond with an old wooden boat and fallen logs, beyond which a hazy, autumn-toned tree line meets a low rose-colored sunset.

The light is dim and low-key, with a warm rose-peach glow gathered at the horizon and soft light on the edges of the brooding clouds, while the foreground sinks into shadow. In the manner of a 19th-century Hudson River School or Barbizon landscape, it has fine canvas weave, thin glazes in the sky, dabbed foliage and the muted patina of an old museum oil.