Diego Rivera’s painting “The Hammock” portrays two young women lounging in Acapulco over a serene body of water. Created in 1956, this painting was made after Diego Rivera received a medical treatment in Moscow when Dolores Olmedo invited him to rest at her house. Two women lay in a hammock, heads at opposite ends, with a large body of water in the background. The body of water separates the women laying on an elevated surface in a hammock from a large island, which hosts a village or town. In the body of water there are various white boats either floating or moving quickly. The women in the painting are Dolores Olmedo’s daughter and her friend. Through the cheerful colors, characterization of the women, and symbolism Diego River creates a deep sense of serenity in “The Hammock.”

This painting uses vibrant colors, creating a sense of happiness. The bright pink and yellow bathing suits draw the audience to the women in the center of the painting. Through the bright colors the audience is given a positive feeling while they contrast the darker tile ground, making them stand out more. This effectively sets the tone of the painting immediately as it gives the hint of joy through the warm colors. Meanwhile, in the background the orange flowers create the same joyous feeling due to the association with bright colors and happiness. The orange flowers contrast the cold colors of the green mountains and bushes, along with the blue body of water. On the other hand, the cool colors of the body of water creates a serene feeling to cool the painting because as observed, the women in bathing suits makes the painting is warm with vibrant colors, but then it becomes calm and cool through the giant blue body of water. The contrasting of warm and cool colors help to keep the painting balanced as the warm colors create joy and happiness that could become excited, however, the cool blue creates a calming sense that makes the painting come together as serene.

The foreground of the painting hosts the two young women lounging in their hammocks. The woman on the left lay with one arm above her head and her eyes closed, depicting her as extremely relaxed. The relaxed tone of the woman on the left indicates the peacefulness of the painting, giving the same feeling to the audience. Likewise, the woman on the right lay with a soft smile on her face, showing her content in the moment. The feelings and characterizations of the women set a tone for the audience to feel the same as the women are depicted. Meanwhile, in the background of the painting, in the bay, there are boats and a town in the distance, which create a sense of noise and commotion. However, the women are far away from this all, with it being in the background very small, which cerates a bigger idea of isolation and the peace and quiet of enjoying only their company. Similarly, there is a book open, but face down. This shows the neglect to anything other than the moment they are in, because there is no focus from the women on the book, but they are in their own peace of mind.

Diego Rivera uses symbolism in this painting to continue portraying the togetherness and serenity in this setting. The women in the hammock lay closely and although their heads are at opposite ends, they are painted closely together to almost seems as though they are intertwined. The hammock holds the two girls together closely in comfort symbolizing how Diego Rivera was taken care of in this time after his surgery and he was with good company and comfortable. Meanwhile it shows the intimacy of friendship to be so comfortable with being so close to one another, as Dolores Olmedo invited Diego Rivera to stay with her. Meanwhile, the painting is relatively symmetrical. The women’s heads at opposite ends of the painting creates a dip in the hammock towards the center of their bodies. Above the dip in the hammock rests a majority of the boats, along with the center of the island and town. The symmetry in the painting represents the evenness in this setting. Everything is equal and peaceful here, as shown by the symmetry in the painting. 

Rivera’s painting creates a deep feeling of calmness through his focus on colors, positioning, and symbolism. The energetic color tone in the foreground of reds, oranges, yellows create a bright and lively contrast to the calming color tone in the background of blues and greens creating a joyous yet calm feeling to the audience. The body language of the women lounging extends the relaxed tone to become more apparent to the reader as the women are physically being relaxed and content, mirroring the color tones effect on the audience’s emotions. This painting symbolizes the comfort and intimacy of the friendship between Rivera and Olmedo after she offers her house to him after a surgery. It symbolizes the peacefulness and comfort of good company, showing the intensity of friendship.

