A lone figure turns his head upward, toward the light source directly above, eyes shut as if in deep contemplation. The symmetrical, unadorned composition and emphasis on simple forms combine to give the painting a quiet and monumental atmosphere.

The conceptual execution of this work has some affinity with (if not a debt to) the Spanish master Zurburan whose profound portrayals of monks in prayer rendered in the simplest and most economic pallette, are so impressive.