Te burao (The Hibiscus Tree)

Paul Gauguin (French, 1848–1903) · 1892

Completed early in Paul Gauguin’s first Tahitian sojourn, this landscape shows the artist grappling with representing an unfamiliar environment. Rather than documenting botanical species scientifically, Gauguin focused on the artistic potential of their variegated colors, textures, and forms. The human figure in the distance and the dog roaming through fallen branches activate the landscape and establish a sense of scale. This is one of thirty-five works that comprise the Winterbotham Collection. Click here to learn more about the collection.

Artist

Paul Gauguin (French, 1848–1903)

Date

1892

Medium

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

68 × 90.7 cm (26 3/4 × 35 11/16 in.); Framed: 86.4 × 109.3 × 8.9 cm (34 × 43 × 3 1/2 in.)

Credit

Joseph Winterbotham Collection

Open-access artwork courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago. Mooseium is not affiliated with or endorsed by this institution.