The portrait shows Eliot from the front as he sits in an armchair, dressed in a lounge suit and a waistcoat.

[2][3] The shapes that make up the painting are stylised; The Guardian describes Eliot's face as "a jigsaw puzzle of shadowy half-moons and sharp planes".

[2] The background has been interpreted as an expression of experimental ideas and as two pillars symbolising the male and female sides of creativity, represented by a phallus and a bird's nest.

The rejection caused a reaction from the media and gave Lewis attention from a wider public.

[1] Lewis made a study for the portrait earlier in 1938, showing Eliot's upper body against a blank background.