After four years at work on his figure, Rodin made a fundamental change in his conception of the head of the writer. Rodin decided to emphasize Balzac's passionate personality. To achieve this effect Rodin left the features unfinished, or unfocused, as though the writer was experiencing a rush of emotion for which he had not yet found words.

Rodin was probably the most experimental sculptor of his time. Besides modelling with the standard academic techniques, Rodin carved, dipped, molded, and recombined his clays and plasters until they reached the effects and forms he wanted. "Head of Balzac," with its immediacy of handling and absence of detail,  may appear as the result of a single creative session; in fact, it is the result of many preliminary studies.