Pier with steamer is an impression of the sea, but it has nothing to do with the meticulous and charming impressionism of the time. The intoxicating grey of the North Sea creates a feeling above all. Dull and gloomy, uncertain and worried: the atmosphere is captured in abrupt smears applied with a flat knife, which do not even completely cover the canvas. This raw interpretation exudes the vitality of the artist, still young and clearly searching for his own visual language.

The thick, charged atmosphere covers the sea like a quilt. The heavy, almost tangible mist floats on the calm water and melts the sea and the sky. A delicate play of light, capturing the artist's mastery, emerges despite the grey tones. The foreground and background are almost monochrome and form an abstract whole. In a minimalist way, Ensor nevertheless creates a dramatic depth effect towards the infinite.