Like a number of American sculptors working in New York during the early 1940s and 1950s, Reuben Nakian's work paralleled the development of Abstract Expressionist painting. The roughly worked, patinated surface of Goddess with the Golden Thighs reflects the artist's close association with contemporary painters who achieved aggressive forms and texture with paint. For this sculpture and many of his other works, Nakian combines a fascination with the drama of classical myths and the expressive techniques of modern painting. Although the "goddess" in the sculpture has no specific identity, she is a powerful representation of the female figure. According to the artist, she represents "the birth of the universe."