Throughout his career, Carl Holty continually sought new, creative geometries and abstract divisions of the pictorial plane. His style is often characterized by geometric abstraction, with an emphasis on color and spatial dynamics. His works are known for their lyrical quality and use of color, reflecting his European influences and his commitment to abstraction. In a review of Holty’s exhibition Semi-Abstractions held at Samuel Kootz Gallery in 1945, the year of the execution of the present painting, the writer for Art News lauds, “Carl Holty, in his latest semi-abstractions at Samuel Kootz’s Gallery, has turned especially to football players and warriors for themes of violent movement. The kinetic quality of these pictures is tremendous, though their formal complexity is almost academic. Razor-sharp areas of strident color define form and space. The figures seem to be in continual motion, dissolving and crystalizing on the canvas.” (“The Passing Shows,” Artnews, November 15, 1945, p. 28)