It contains many abstractions, mostly in its presentation of the head and body as simple, solid shapes,[1] a technique later taken up and developed by Henri Matisse.

The work's low-key colours, mostly greys, whites and dark greens, achieve a sombre tone, echoed by the shy reserve on the boy's face.

Heavy-lidded, they are, according to art critic Meyer Schapiro, "without spiritual light ... they belong to a world of shadow.

"[1] One critic famously wrote that Cézanne painted the heads of friends as if they were apples, and that sense of cool detachment is evident in this work.

Its formal qualities are reminiscent of a still-life or landscape, however while at first look there is evidence of the artist's awareness of the "abyss between human beings", there are signs of hope and connection in the delicately rendered tones of the cheeks, the ornament of the wall, the folds of the dress, and the cravat which echoes the verticals of the folds of the face and wall.