This impressionist artwork depicts a serene, sun-drenched garden terrace overlooking the sea at Sainte-Adresse. The foreground features a stone patio filled with vibrant, lush flowers and green shrubs, arranged around several wicker chairs. Figures dressed in nineteenth-century formal attire, including individuals holding parasols and a seated man in a hat, occupy the terrace, adding a sense of leisure and elegance to the scene.
Beyond the garden wall, the composition opens up to a brilliant blue horizon. The sea is dotted with distant sailing ships and steamboats, their small silhouettes contrasted against the expansive water. Two tall poles flank the scene, each flying a flag—one yellow and red, the other the blue, white, and red of the French tricolour—which catch the breeze against a light, airy sky with soft, scattered clouds.
The colour palette is dominated by bright blues of the sea and sky, balanced by the warm, earthy tones of the stone terrace and the vivid reds, oranges, and greens of the garden foliage. The brushwork captures the shimmering quality of natural light, evoking a mid-day atmosphere of quiet relaxation. This is a classic impressionist piece that emphasizes the interplay between the structured human space of the garden and the vast, fluid expanse of the ocean landscape.