An exceptionally interesting drawing study by Emil Filla from the second half of the 1930s, depicting Theseus carrying the Cretan bull, one of the heroic mythological subjects to which the artist repeatedly returned during the pre-war period. Using energetic and exploratory pencil lines, Filla examines the physical relationship between the human and animal bodies. Rather than pursuing academic description, he deforms and reconstructs the figures in order to intensify their physical strength, movement and dramatic tension. The study belongs to Filla’s important thematic cycle of Fights and Struggles, which he began developing in 1936. Classical heroes such as Heracles and Theseus provided Filla with subjects through which he could explore struggle, resistance and the confrontation of opposing forces. Against the increasingly threatening political background of the late 1930s, these mythological subjects acquired a broader symbolic significance. Of particular interest is the dialogue between this drawing and lot #109, Filla’s painting Souboje a zápasy, offered immediately afterwards in this auction. Both works belong to the same important thematic world of struggle, physical force and resistance, providing collectors with an opportunity to encounter two different manifestations of Filla’s pre-war artistic thinking. The present drawing should not be understood as a literal preparatory study for the identical composition of lot #109, but as a closely related work belonging to the same documented thematic cycle. Emil Filla (1882–1953) was one of the leading figures of Czech modernism and a founder of Czech Cubism. A member of the Osma group, the Group of Fine Artists and the Mánes Association of Fine Artists, he played a fundamental role in shaping the Czech avant-garde. His extensive oeuvre encompasses painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture and art theory. Provenance: important private Moravian collection. CURATOR’S TIP: A compelling Filla study from a crucial pre-war period. Its placement immediately before lot #109 Souboje a zápasy creates an exceptional dialogue between two works exploring one of Filla’s defining themes of the late 1930s – struggle, strength and resistance. INVESTMENT RECOMMENDATION: Original drawings by Emil Filla represent an accessible segment of the oeuvre of one of the most important Czech modernists. The 1936–1939 dating and documented connection with the significant Fights and Struggles thematic cycle strengthen the collecting importance of this work. Acquiring both lots #108 and #109 would create a particularly compelling pair illustrating two artistic manifestations of Filla’s pre-war exploration of struggle.