This impressionist oil painting depicts a bustling harbor scene filled with several traditional wooden sailboats. The focal point is a cluster of vessels positioned in the center, their tall masts reaching upward against a bright, textured sky. A smaller boat in the foreground anchors the composition, featuring a deep reddish-brown sail that contrasts sharply with the pale, warm tones of the larger sails behind it.
The setting is rendered with loose, visible brushstrokes that emphasize the movement of light and water. The composition is horizontally anchored by the hulls of the ships resting on the choppy, blue water, while the vertical lines of the masts create a sense of rhythm and depth. In the distant background, a suggestion of a shoreline with low-slung, pale buildings provides a soft horizon line, grounding the maritime scene within a harbor setting.
The colour palette is dominated by cool blues and vibrant purples in the water and sky, which serve as a backdrop for the warm, earthy tones of the sails—ranging from buttery yellows and creams to burnt oranges and rust-browns. The light appears bright and midday, creating high-contrast reflections on the rippling surface of the sea. The artist’s style is clearly expressive, relying on dabs of thick paint to capture the atmospheric quality of the scene rather than fine detail, typical of the late 19th or early 20th-century marine impressionist tradition.