The Creation is both an ode to the ambiguity of the urge to create and the expression of Thielen's metaphysics. Inspired by the philosophies of Kant, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche around human drives and the will-to-form that drives the material world forward, Thielen painted a polyptych that follows the structure of this philosophy.

The science of human urges thereby states that man, born as an organic creation of pure nature, has a will-to-make and will-to-live. These drives propel man endlessly and make him create, build and organize. But because of the greed and will inherent in these inescapable urges, man gets caught in his own net. Man's mechanical creation, in contradiction to the organic creation of nature, is also the cause of his own decline.

Both aspects of this philosophy were depicted on the first two sides of The Creation. The third side thereby shows the redemption of these urges. Through the arts, which are not driven by a will-to-life but rather by beauty, man can temporarily redeem himself from his urges and bring him closer to himself. The soul is depicted on The Creation as a floating human figure with an abstracted upper body, showing the redemption and purification of the soul.