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Label Text Along with his two older brothers G. D. ArulRaj and G. D. PaulRaj, ThyagaRaj was an accomplished watercolorist in his native India. Like his siblings, the artist routinely depicted everyday life in India, with the Banyan Tree—a Ficus species and the country’s national tree—often making an appearance. The trees grow from seeds that germinate on the plant’s branches instead of in the ground, causing aerial roots to fall from stems that eventually envelop its host and become branch-supporting pillars. What may appear to be a forest of Banyans is in actuality a few trees smothered by seedlings. From quick marks and solid outlines, ThyagaRaj exquisitely captures dappled sunlight filtering through the plant’s extensive web of roots and branches. The trees tower over a convoy of “banians,” a group of Hindu merchants who historically traded underneath Banyan trees and inspired the plant’s name. October, 2020
DimensionsSheet (/image): 21 3/4 × 28 7/8 in. (55.2 × 73.3 cm)
Accession Number 1958.54
Classificationswork on paper
InscriptionsG.D. ThyagaRaj (l/r)
Banyan Trees
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
G.D. ThyagaRaj
date unknown
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
John Edward Heliker
1944
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Dwight Kirsch
1959
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
George Grosz
1933
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Ralston Crawford
1936
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Val Tone
1980
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Gwenne Glasser Engh
1979
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Anonymous
17th Century
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Anonymous
late 18th-early 19th century
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Anselm Kiefer
1983
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Joseph Charles Dailey
1958