A single African buffalo advances towards the viewer through dry grassland, its head lowered and horns curving outward to frame the face. The animal occupies the centre of the composition, set against a pale sky that provides limited depth. Straw-coloured grasses are rendered with broken strokes and scraped passages, while the buffalo’s dark mass is constructed through layered blacks, greys and muted browns. Shepherd applies oil paint unevenly across the surface, allowing texture to register prominently in the foreground. Buffalo was painted following Shepherd’s repeated visits to East Africa during the mid to late twentieth century, when he produced numerous studies of large mammals encountered in national parks and reserves. The frontal viewpoint reflects Shepherd’s interest in close-range observation developed during his work with wildlife conservation organisations.