Oysters in the afternoon

Viewed from above, a grey plate is piled with opened oysters, their shells splayed to show the glistening flesh inside. Two glasses of pale white wine flank the plate, a halved lemon sits to the right on a brown napkin, and a detached oyster shell lies apart on the table's edge, set on a striped cloth against a backdrop of green grass.

Sunlight rakes across the scene from the upper right, picking out sharp highlights on the glasses and the wet, nacreous shells. The palette is dominated by cool greys and warm greens, punctuated by the bright yellow of the lemon. Brushwork is precise and glossy on the reflective surfaces, looser in the grass, giving a fresh, sunlit outdoor mood.