He took great inspiration from his relationship with Lerner, especially for a series of six nudes, the first important body of work that he made after his return to the United States.
Weston chose to focus in the torso and hands of Lerner, unlike his previous work with a female model, Tina Modotti, also a fellow photographer, which consisted mostly of close-up portraits and often depicted her surroundings.
Weston pictures of Lerner, by the contrary, focus in photographic croppings, bringing the viewer to a closer proximity with the model.
In this case, the lighting and the twisted position of the nude torso gives it a sense of movement, and also a particular sculptural quality.
By using palladium, he allowed not only for the depiction of a lustrous surface, but also for a bigger range of gray mid-tones.