06/10/2026
🌟 The Blueprint of a Masterpiece: Emil Bisttram’s The Combat 🌟
Before a masterpiece takes its final form, there is often a period of experimentation, refinement, and discovery. This work offers a rare glimpse into Emil Bisttram's artistic process and the development of one of his most significant compositions.
Featured Artwork:Emil Bisttram
(1895–1976)The Combat, 1932
Pencil on paper | 21 x 20 inches
Signed lower left
Fresh from studying in Mexico under the legendary muralist Diego Rivera, Bisttram created this striking 1932 graphite study. It served as the exact structural and thematic foundation for his iconic 1933 canvas, Combat, and directly birthed his massive, mid-1930s federal courthouse murals (Justice Tempered with Mercy, Cooperation, and Strife).
Through the lens of Dynamic Symmetry, you can see Bisttram breaking away from traditional representation. The interlocking diagonals of the horses and the monumental, sculptural anatomy show a master craftsman perfectly balancing recognizable storytelling with raw, geometric abstraction.
📩 Inquire about this foundational piece of New Mexico Modernism: https://bit.ly/4v2gjP1
The Combat, 1932, by Emil Bisttram, is art for sale at Addison Rowe Gallery, a premier Santa Fe, New Mexico art gallery. We will help you expand your Transcendental Painting Group, American Modern art and Abstract art fine art painting collection.