A man with a reddish beard and piercing blue-green eyes stares intently out from beneath the brim of a wide, yellow straw hat. His face is set in a serious, almost stern expression, with the lines of his brow and mouth sharply defined by short, directional strokes of paint. The sitter wears a light blue jacket with a white collar, rendered in bold, energetic dashes of blue, green, and violet that echo the restless movement of the background.

Light falls from the upper left, illuminating the left side of his face and hat, while the right side is cast in gentle shadow, accentuating the contours of his cheek and jaw. The straw hat dominates the upper portion of the composition, its woven texture suggested by rapid, layered strokes of yellow and ochre that curve around the crown and brim. Every area of the canvas is alive with visible brushwork, from the short, choppy marks that describe the beard and hair to the longer, parallel lines that shape the jacket.

The composition is tightly cropped, focusing attention on the head and shoulders and leaving little space around the figure, which enhances the intensity of the gaze. The background consists of swirling, overlapping strokes of muted mauve, blue, and ochre, with no discernible objects or secondary figures present. The lower right and left corners of the painting are filled with diagonal blue and green brushstrokes that define the edge of the jacket against the background.

Light yellow and pale green highlights are visible along the left edge of the hat's brim, emphasizing the direction of the light source. The paint is applied in thick, textured layers, with visible ridges and impasto especially noticeable in the hat and beard. Vincent van Gogh created this self-portrait in 1887, depicting himself as both subject and artist. The subject of the portrait is Vincent van Gogh himself, shown wearing a hat, as indicated by the title and museum documentation.

The genre of the painting is both portrait and self-portrait, situating it within a tradition of artists depicting their own likeness.