He wears a broad-brimmed straw hat that casts a shadow over his forehead and eyes, its yellow and ochre tones painted with rapid, visible strokes. A short, straight pipe juts from the left corner of his mouth, its bowl rendered in dark brown, while the stem is painted in a lighter, almost golden hue. The man's shoulders are draped in a blue garment, loosely brushed with streaks of turquoise and deep blue, suggesting folds and shadows without precise detail.

Behind him, the background is a muted, swirling field of dark blue and grey, painted with broad, rough strokes that leave the canvas texture visible at the edges. The face is modeled with thick, energetic brushwork, especially around the cheeks, brow, and beard, where strokes of orange, pink, and brown blend to create a sense of volume and ruggedness. The composition is tightly cropped, with the head and shoulders filling nearly the entire frame, focusing attention on the sitter's gaze and the distinctive hat and pipe.

Small areas of unpainted canvas remain visible at the corners, revealing the artist's brisk, direct approach to the portrait. The background contains subtle variations in tone, with patches of lighter blue and hints of green emerging from the predominantly dark field behind the figure's left shoulder. Along the upper edge of the canvas, small flecks of bare canvas and uneven paint application create a rough, unfinished border.

The light falls most strongly on the left side of the hat and cheek, leaving the right side of the face and neck in deeper shadow. Loose, diagonal brushstrokes in the lower right corner suggest the edge of the garment, blending into the background with little separation. The subject is Vincent van Gogh himself, as indicated by the title and the genre of self-portrait.