“The Hands of Dr Moore,” an oil-on-canvas artwork created in 1940 by Diego Rivera, is an allegorical painting rooted in the art movement of Surrealism. Measuring 45.8 x 55.9 cm, this piece is housed at the San Diego Museum of Art in San Diego, California.
The artwork depicts a pair of hands meticulously engaged in a surgical act, where a tree-like structure emerges from a wound-like opening on a flat surface. The hands, one holding a scalpel and the other steadying the area, suggest the precise and delicate nature of the procedure. The tree, with its intricate branches, evokes a sense of life and growth, symbolically linking to themes of healing and rejuvenation. This surrealistic composition intertwines elements of medical science with nature, rendering a potent allegory under Rivera’s masterful brushwork. The inscription at the bottom adds a layer of narrative, possibly illuminating the physician’s role in nurturing life.
