Acquired by the Louvre in 1975 (the institution's first acquisition of a work by the artist, followed by Seaside by Moonlight in 2000), it has been called one of Friedrich's "most compelling paintings.

"[1] The painting depicts a twisted oak tree, bare but for a few dead leaves, seen against an evening sky.

An inscription on the back of the canvas refers to the hill at the painting's center as a Hünengrab, or dolmen, a prehistoric burial ground.

[4] Contrasted with the serene layers of chromatic clouds, the tree's forms have been likened to "many flailing arms.

"[5] The foreground may be seen as representing death, with the distant sky offering consoling beauty and the promise of redemption afterlife.