Bisttram first came to Taos as a representational painter. He painted stylized renderings of Native American dancers, portraits, and depictions of local architecture. However, he began to experiment with non-objective (i.e., abstract) forms in his paintings. He became heavily influenced by the work and philosophy of Wassily Kandinsky. Indeed, in many of Bisttram's canvases, the influence of Kandinsky is evident in the bright colors and abstract forms that he began to employ. In 1938 Bisttram, along with Raymond Johnson 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. Such work had begun in Europe at least 2 decades previously, but this was something new to America. Despite the stated goal, Bisttram often maintained elements that were at least semi-representational in his canvases. (https://www.addisonrowe.com/gallery-artists/bisttram-emil/nggallery/page/3)