The Hands of Dr. Moore by Diego Rivera, 1940. Oil on canvas, 45.8 x 55.9 cm. San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA.
Today is, of course, Rivera’s 125th birthday.
From the SDMA:
Rivera chose to focus on the doctor’s hands instead of creating a more typical image that featured the sitter’s face. The inscription reads, “These are the hands of Dr. Clarence Moore of Los Angeles, California. They trim the tree of life so that it is renewed and does not die. Diego Rivera painted them in 1940.”
With its reference to roots, female anatomy, and blood, and through the use of a ribbon-like banner that includes an inscription, the painting recalls the work of Frida Kahlo, a Mexican artist whom Rivera twice married.
The anthropomorphic tree that is transformed from a symbol of the natural world to the female figure reflects the status of the tree as an iconic symbol in Mexican art history from pre-Columbian to contemporary times.
