A solitary house sits on a grassy, windswept promontory above the sea, its walls rendered in warm ochres and oranges that catch the afternoon light. The building occupies the lower left of the canvas, its slanted red roof and chimney standing out against the pale, shimmering expanse of water that fills most of the scene. Short, rapid brushstrokes suggest tufts of grass and low shrubs around the house, their greens and yellows mingling with the earth tones of the cliff.

The ocean stretches out behind the house, painted in undulating bands of blue, green, and soft lavender, with loose, horizontal strokes that evoke the movement of light on the waves. Above, the sky is streaked with pale blues and greys, its cloud cover merging almost imperceptibly with the horizon. No figures appear in the scene; the house stands alone, its shadow falling to the right, suggesting the sun is low to the left.

The artist’s signature is visible in the lower left corner, inscribed in dark paint among the grasses. Brushwork throughout is energetic and varied, with thicker impasto in the vegetation and more fluid, blended strokes in the water and sky. The lower right corner of the painting features bold, curving green and ochre brushstrokes that suggest dense vegetation at the cliff’s edge.

Near the bottom left, a swirl of dark green and black lines stands out among the lighter grasses, adding visual weight to that corner. The roof of the house displays streaks of orange and yellow, with the paint applied in diagonal lines that emphasize its slant. The background sea is flecked with touches of pale yellow and white, indicating glints of sunlight on the water’s surface.

Along the right edge of the canvas, the vegetation becomes more abstract, with loose, upward strokes blending into the sea. The sky in the upper left corner is painted with thin, horizontal strokes, creating a subtle transition between cloud and horizon. Light falls most strongly on the left side of the house, illuminating its wall and casting the right side in deeper shadow.

The outline of the promontory is irregular and jagged, with the earthy tones blending into the green and blue of the surrounding landscape. Customs House. Afternoon Effect was painted by Claude Monet in 1882.