One of Ivan Aivazovsky's (1817 – 1900) favorite subjects was the depiction of stormy seas. In this work, we see a dramatic scene where the human element is confronted with the majesty of nature. On the left side of the painting, steep cliffs can be seen on which foaming waves crash. In the foreground, two seagulls fly over the shore, which correspond to the two ships sailing in the turbulent waters on the right side of the work. The small white strokes around the first ship indicate the fierce force of the waves where the water rises and wets the masts. The gray sky is reflected in the liquid element, creating a tendency of monochrome that is broken by the rocks in the foreground and the foaming waters. The painting is done in Aivazovsky's characteristic technique; by working thin layers of paint, one on top of the other, the painter succeeds in capturing the transparency of the water. The drama of the scene is intensified by the two imaginary diagonals created by the artist, which intersect in the middle of the scene. The first diagonal starts from the highest point of the rocks on the left, while the second is determined by the mast of the tilted ship on the right.

The work is in the spirit of 19th-century romanticism. Aivazovsky, who primarily created works from his imagination and not from nature, created a scene within the framework of the sublime – the transcendent – ​​as it had been given as a concept in the 18th century by Edmond Burke and had influenced many artists of his time and the century that followed. According to Burke, the concept of the sublime was related to that which aroused feelings of pain or terror which lead to the creation of the strongest emotion that a person can feel. The painting is an excellent example of the art of the Russian painter whom Tsar Nicholas I had characterized as the "Tsar of Painting" emphasizing the importance of his art.