This was the first time Berthe Morisot posed for Manet. Manet's "Luncheon in the studio" was the work of an innovator but "The Balcony" was not. Unlike Morisot, the three other figures are pale and undistinguished. Orienti writes, "Guillemet looks pompous and stupid, Jenny Clauss a stereotype, and the painting as a whole seems to suffer from the uneven distribution of the figures." The press considered the painting "discordant". The contrast of colors (the background completely black, the white faces and clothes, the blue tie of the man, and the green railings) contributes to create an atmosphere of "mystery".