Willow grove near the water, prominent tree at right

Mondrian returned repeatedly to the willow grove as a compositional motif in his early career, and this 1903 version with a prominent tree at the right foreground shows his experimentation with asymmetrical balance. The dominant near tree gives spatial depth and scale to the shallower grove behind it, and the prominence of water reflection demonstrates his attraction to the mirror relationship between forms and their images. These repeated investigations of single motifs across multiple canvases parallel Monet's serial approach, though Mondrian's interest is less in atmospheric variation than in structural and spatial clarification.

The large willow at right is painted with more detailed attention than the grove behind, establishing a spatial recession. Mondrian applies paint with confident, varied strokes — firmer for solid trunks, looser for reflected water images. The palette is naturalistic: grey-greens, muted ochres, pale sky.