Balzac, the Open Sky

The photograph is part of a series created by Steichen that depict the statue of Honoré de Balzac by Auguste Rodin, executed in plaster, in 1898.

The French sculptor had already worked previously with Steichen when he invited him to take some photographs of his sculpture in 1908, in the hope of gaining more recognition for his creation.

"[4] Steichen thought that the plaster statue looked harsh and chalky at day time, so Rodin decided to move it to the garden, where it was put on a rotating platform, to allow better views from different angles.

They are like Christ walking in the desert.”[5][6] Steichen's series of photographs of the statue were exhibited at the Photo-Secession Gallery, in 1909, the last held jointly by him and Alfred Stieglitz.

[7] The photograph places the imponent statue, appearing menacing in his cloak, slightly off the center and facing the right frame, in an empty, dark and ghostly location, where the only light seen is from the natural moonlit.