A broad sweep of water fills the foreground, its surface broken by shimmering strokes of yellow, blue, and lavender that suggest shifting sunlight and gentle ripples. The far bank rises into the unmistakable silhouette of the Houses of Parliament, their towers and spires rendered as dark, vertical shapes that loom against a luminous sky. The tallest tower stands just left of center, its form softened by a haze of violet and blue, while the rest of the building stretches horizontally in a jagged line across the middle of the canvas.

No figures are visible; the architecture dominates, shrouded in mist that blurs the edges and merges the building with the sky. Sunlight enters from the upper right, dissolving into a patchwork of gold and pink that brightens the clouds and glances off the water below. The sky itself is a field of swirling brushstrokes, blending soft purples, blues, and hints of orange, echoing the colors in the water and uniting the composition.

Monet’s brushwork is loose and visible, with short, broken dashes and sweeping arcs that create a sense of movement and atmosphere rather than precise detail. Near the lower left corner, Claude Monet’s signature and the date 1903 are inscribed in blue, anchoring the work in a specific moment. In the upper right corner, the paint is applied more thickly, with swirling strokes of gold and pale pink that intensify the brightness of the sunlight.

The lower right edge of the water is streaked with elongated dabs of white and yellow, creating the strongest highlights where the sun hits the river. Along the top left edge, the sky transitions into cooler tones of blue and lavender, with softer, more diffuse brushwork than the sunlit area. The outlines of the building’s spires and turrets are irregular and slightly blurred, with some vertical lines dissolving into the misty background.

No boats, bridges, or other objects break the expanse of water or sky, leaving the scene empty except for the architectural silhouette. Claude Monet painted Houses of Parliament, Sunlight Effect (Le Parlement, effet de soleil) in 1903. The title identifies the subject as the Houses of Parliament, seen under the effects of sunlight.