 Diller found inspiration in the work of Russian Constructivist Kazimir Malevich and in the work of the De Stijl artists Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg.Diller also was greatly influenced by his teachers in the Art Students League Hans Hofmann and Jan Matulka.Hofmann, in particular, was so influential in Diller's life that when Diller had his solo exhibition at the Contemporary Arts Museum (Houston) in New York City, he had Hofmann write the introduction for the catalogue.