Born into a family of metalsmiths in Barcelona, González began an apprenticeship at the age of 15. González's artistic output was limited to decorative works until fellow Catalan Pablo Picasso sought his help in executing six large-scale sculptures between 1928-31. During this time, González not only taught Picasso the basic techniques of working with metal, but began to explore the application of these methods in his own artistic practice using the skills of a craft with which he was so familiar.

It is thus no understatement that González, more so than any artist, fundamentally altered the trajectory of modern metal sculpture. Since Antiquity, sculptors in the Western tradition had to first mold their idea in a malleable material such as plaster or wax and then enlist the help of a professional foundry to transform their model into a more permanent medium. González realized the aesthetic possibilities afforded by directly manipulating the form of metals, paving the way for artists such as David Smith and John Chamberlain.

Personnage allongé II dates from one of the most productive periods of González's career, when he produced a series masterpieces in iron following his collaboration with Picasso. The present work is an elegant construction of abstract geometric forms that plays on the disparity between the mechanistic abstraction of the material and its figurative subject.

Despite his artistic breakthroughs and stunning creations, González was never interested in pursuing commercial success. He remained committed to providing for his family and was a quiet, religious man. He allowed very limited access to his studio, though he held optimistic beliefs of what artists could achieve with iron: "The age of iron began many centuries ago, by producing (unhappily) arms—some very beautiful. Today it makes possible the building of bridges, railroads. It is high time that this metal cease to be a murderer and the simple instrument of an overly mechanical science. Today, the door is opened wide to this material to be at last forged and hammered by the peaceful hands of artists" (quoted in Julio González, A Retrospective (exhibition catalogue), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1993, p. 15)