In 1930, Bisttram visited Taos for the first time, but found he was blocked from painting by the “grandeur of the scenery and the limitless space.” He then chose to go to Mexico to study fresco painting with Diego Rivera, becoming influenced by the strong realism and sculptured surfaces.

One year later, he returned to Taos and founded the Taos School of Art, of which he would remain the director for the rest of his life. Bisttram was an extremely articulate individual, and was as skilled at explaining concepts of composition, drawing and painting as he was at applying those concepts to his own paintings.

Bisttram first went to Taos as a representational painter; however, he began to experiment with non-objective (abstract) forms in his paintings. In 1938 Bisttram, along with Raymond Jonson and several other painters, founded the Transcendental Painting Group in Santa Fe. The aim of the group was to work to bring painting beyond the appearance of the physical world.

This painting is testimony to Bisttran’s influence by Diego Rivera and other Mexican artists who had a propensity for painting Calla lilies. The colors are bright and the paint applied with a heavy and steady hand.

The painting is signed Bisttram in lower left. It is framed in what may be the original frame and the painting is in excellent condition.

Provenance: ex. coll. California art collector

Recommended Reading: Santa Fe Fantasy: Quest for the Golden City (click here to view details of book) by Elmo Baca, et al. (Available from Adobe Gallery)