Against the predominant movement toward straightforward, unmanipulated art photography, Mortensen defended work inspired by ideas and emotions. He published numerous articles and technical manuals in the 1930s and 1940s, often railing against Realism. Mortensen began his career as a Hollywood scenic artist, and his gothic *tableaux* of religious and historical subjects had much in common with the film studio productions of his day. He made this work on the set of director Cecil B. DeMille's silent film *King of Kings,* about the Passion of Christ.
