The rugged arctic landscape depicted in the present painting, Antarctica II, complements Richard Estes's tightly rendered, hard-edge painting style. Renowned for translating photographs into meticulous paintings, Estes initially gained prominence in the 1960s for his precise depictions of New York City, a theme he continues to explore today. By the subsequent decades, his repertoire expanded to encompass global travel, as reflected in Antarctica II, which portrays Paradise Bay—a frequently visited harbor for tourists and scientists exploring the continent.

In 2006, Estes embarked on his first of two journeys to Antarctica, using photographs from that expedition as the basis for the present painting. This series of 12 Antarctica-themed works, emerging from his 2006 trip, represents some of the artist's last pieces created with a conventional film camera. By 2006, Estes had begun transitioning to digital photography. The panoramic style of Antarctica II is quintessential Estes; he constructs and amalgamates a viewpoint from photographs, incorporating elements from the natural landscape that diverge from the directly observed scene. Including a sliver of the boat on the left serves as a grounding device—a technique frequently employed by Estes in his depictions of water scenes.