Character heads of old men were typical of the Munich school and are common in Ferdo Vesel’s work during his studies at the Munich Academy, especially in the years 1887–1888, when he studied with Professor Ludwig von Löfftz. Under him, he focused on painting model heads in moody poses with painterly tonal modelling. In doing this, Vesel was interested in purely painterly problems, such as the glow in the hair, reflections on the skin, the bite of shadows on the face, and the contrast between silky hair and leathery skin. According to tradition, the painting Old Man with White Hair was created somewhat later, during his trip to the Baltic in 1902.

The shoulder-length portrait of the old man against a light background is painted in a cool, white-pink colour scheme with bluish hues. The head is solidly plastic, while the clothing and white silky hair, in which the light has caught, are rendered in a soft and airy manner.

Vesel masterfully marked the red-rimmed watery eyes, which, together with the subtle colour treatment, adds a naturalistic persuasiveness to the figure.