Two haystacks rise from a snow-covered field, their rounded shapes dominating the foreground and middle distance. The larger haystack stands slightly left of center, casting a blue-lavender shadow across the pale ground, while a second, smaller stack sits behind and to the right, its own shadow stretching to the lower right corner. The field is blanketed in snow, painted with thick, visible brushstrokes that blend soft purples, blues, and hints of yellow, suggesting the play of sunlight on the frozen surface.

In the background, a low band of trees or hedges is rendered in hazy, cool tones, almost dissolving into the pale sky above. The sky itself is a luminous wash of creamy whites and faint pinks, with the sun’s presence felt in the gentle warmth that tints the upper right of the canvas. Monet uses loose, broken brushwork throughout, layering color in short, textured strokes that create a sense of shimmering air and fleeting light.

No figures or animals appear; the scene is quiet, focused entirely on the forms of the haystacks and the shifting effects of winter sunlight. The composition is carefully balanced, with the two stacks anchoring the space and their shadows leading the eye across the snowy field. The lower left corner of the painting contains a signature in reddish-orange paint, standing out against the pale snow.

Faint yellow and orange strokes appear around the base of the haystacks, suggesting patches of exposed grass or straw. The background trees or hedges are rendered with indistinct, vertical strokes, giving them a blurred, misty appearance. The upper edges of the haystacks are highlighted with pale pinks and creams, indicating where the sunlight directly touches their surfaces.

The snow in the lower right corner is painted with more horizontal strokes, creating a subtle texture that contrasts with the vertical handling of the stacks. Haystacks (Effect of Snow and Sun) was painted by Claude Monet in 1891. The subject is a pair of haystacks in winter, a theme noted in the title and confirmed by the depiction of snow and sunlight.