A wide expanse of blue-green water stretches across the upper half of La mer à l’Estaque, its surface marked by short, horizontal strokes of pale blue, green, and white paint that suggest the movement of the sea. The horizon line runs almost straight from left to right, dividing the composition into two distinct zones: the tranquil sea above and the clustered rooftops below. On the left, a low, distant headland juts into the water, rendered in muted blue and grey tones that recede into the hazy sky.

The sky itself is painted with broad, creamy strokes of pale yellow and soft peach, creating a gentle, luminous atmosphere that bathes the entire scene in warm light. Below the horizon, a hillside village unfolds in a series of angular, overlapping forms, each building topped with a roof of vivid terracotta red. The houses are painted in soft ochres and creams, their walls catching the sunlight and casting subtle shadows onto the ground and each other.

Patches of green foliage and trees punctuate the village, their leaves suggested by loose, energetic dabs and streaks of paint. In the lower right, a small house with a red roof sits at the edge of the composition, partly obscured by shrubs and the uneven terrain. The brushwork remains visible throughout, with thick, textured strokes that build up the forms of the landscape and give the surface a lively, tactile quality.

No figures appear in the scene, and the village feels quiet and still beneath the bright sky and shimmering water. The composition is carefully balanced, with the mass of buildings rising diagonally from the lower left to the upper right, mirroring the gentle slope of the hillside. Color is used boldly, with the cool blues and greens of the sea and foliage set against the warm reds and yellows of the roofs and earth.

Each element is simplified into geometric shapes, yet the overall effect is one of harmony and natural light. La mer à l’Estaque is made by Paul Cézanne, as stated in the catalogue.