Neshat is known for her intimate, thoughtful portraits of contemporary people. In Deference juxtaposes a modern woman with El Greco’s 16th-century “Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest.” This work follows from her 2014/15 series The Home of My Eyes, which Neshat began in 2014. It included black and white portraits of individuals from Azerbaijan, who recreate "specific hand gestures [from] Christian religious paintings, most notably those of El Greco." This series of silver gelatin prints was exhibited at the Museo Correr in Venice in 2017.

Here, the two subjects mirror and contrast one another at the same time, striking an enigmatic pose across time and geography. Another print from the edition of 20 was exhibited at the Rollins Museum of Art, Florida in 2021.