A narrow stream winds through a steep ravine, bordered by rugged banks and rocky outcrops. The water appears as a band of deep blue and turquoise, cutting diagonally from the lower center toward the middle distance, flanked by textured earth and foliage. On the left, the bank rises in ochre and green strokes, with rough, swirling brushwork suggesting tufts of grass and exposed soil.

The right side of the ravine is dominated by jagged, pale rocks, their surfaces built up with thick, energetic strokes of white, blue, and hints of green. The central area is filled with dense, layered marks of yellow, brown, and olive, evoking tangled vegetation or moss clinging to the ravine walls. Above, the sky is painted in a flat, luminous green, its smooth surface broken only by subtle arcs of brushwork that echo the swirling energy below.

Throughout the composition, the paint is applied with expressive, visible strokes, creating a sense of movement and tactile surface. The forms are outlined and modeled with bold lines of blue, black, and ochre, giving structure to the rocks and banks while heightening the sense of rhythm. No human figures appear; the focus remains entirely on the wild, untamed character of the landscape.

Small flecks of red and orange punctuate the earth in the lower corners, adding warmth and variety to the palette. The composition is tightly framed, with the ravine filling nearly the entire picture plane and no distant horizon visible. In the upper left corner, a jagged blue ridge rises sharply against the green sky, its edge defined by angular, dark outlines.

At the bottom left, a patch of pale pink earth is streaked with green and tan, contrasting with the darker tones nearby. Along the right edge, a vertical sweep of dark green paint suggests a bush or dense foliage clinging to the rock face. Light falls unevenly across the scene, with the tops of the rocks catching pale highlights while shadowed areas are built up with deep blue and brown impasto. Vincent van Gogh painted Ravine with a Small Stream in 1889.