Te raau rahi (The Big Tree)  1891

Upon arriving in Tahiti in June 1891, Paul Gauguin was keen to observe and understand the local vegetation. The big tree referred to in the title of this painting is the hotu tree at left. On the right, a tropical almond tree rises behind a screen of banana leaves, and along the right edge is a red-blossomed hibiscus shrub. Breadfruit leaves dot the foreground. The work is...