The idea of the Hand of God forming humanity from inert matter as a paradigm for the sculptor's modelling his figures from shapeless clay fascinated Rodin. He inherited his fascination from Victor Hugo, who had developed literary parallels between divine and human creation, and from the sculptor Rodin revered most, Michelangelo, called by his contemporaries "divine".

The technique of "Hand of God" combines the detailed finish of the hand and the formlessness, or becoming form, of the figures. Having created the basic form as early as 1898, Rodin and his assistants developed the compositions in various media and sizes through the remainder of his career.