Two large grainstacks rise from a frost-covered field, their forms dominating the foreground with one placed at the left and the other slightly behind and to the right. The tops of the stacks are pointed, and their bases are broad, casting soft, irregular shadows on the pale ground below. Patches of white and blue suggest a layer of frost or snow, scattered unevenly across the field and catching the early light.

The stacks are painted in strokes of orange, pink, violet, and ochre, which blend together to evoke the effect of sunlight striking their surfaces. Behind the stacks, a row of low buildings appears in the middle distance, their rooftops rendered in cool blue and lavender tones that recede into the frosty haze. Further back, the landscape dissolves into a band of softly brushed hills, their outlines blurred in the misty, pastel atmosphere of dawn or dusk.

The sky above is a luminous wash of pale pink, blue, and cream, with no distinct clouds, echoing the delicate color transitions found throughout the scene. Short, broken brushstrokes cover the entire surface, creating a shimmering texture that suggests both the chill of the air and the fleeting quality of light. The composition is balanced by the placement of the two stacks, which anchor the scene while leading the gaze toward the distant horizon.

A small patch of green emerges along the lower edge of the foreground, breaking up the frosted surface near the base of the left grainstack. The lower left corner is signed in red paint, with the signature blending into the surrounding blue and green brushstrokes. The light source comes from the left, illuminating the left sides of the stacks with warm tones while casting the right sides into cooler shadow.

The brushwork on the distant hills is looser and more horizontal, creating a soft, hazy boundary between the land and sky. Grainstacks, White Frost Effect is painted by Claude Monet between 1888 and 1889.