A lone penguin stands on a floating slab of ice with its head lowered, as if lost in thought. A broad beam of pale light falls through heavy storm clouds and lands on the bird and the ice around it.

The sea and sky are painted in deep slate and near-black tones. Thick, visible brushstrokes build up the clouds, the glowing ice and the dark water, so the scene feels weighty and melancholy, with a dry sense of humour in the penguin's posture.