Dionicio Rodriguez in San Antonio

"Faux Bois" Rustic Wood in Concrete

[chinese tea garden gate.]
The gate to the Chinese Tea Garden (now the Sunken Gardens), Brackenridge Park, San Antonio, Texas. Difficult though its shadowy interior is to photograph, this ornate gate is a good introduction to the work of Dionicio Rodriguez. This Mexican sculptor (1893-1955) worked in San Antonio from the 1920's to at least the 1940's. He spoke no English, and was very secretive about his techniques. He called his art "el trabajo rústico", rustic work.
Charles Baumberger, president of the San Antonio Portland Cement Company (now Alamo Cement Company), probably commissioned this work and several others.
[tea garden gate shims.]
The sculptor imagines a clumsy, ill-fitted beam that has to be shimmed into the uprights, as if the carpenters had been none too competent. A gentle joke set in concrete.
[tea garden kanji.]
Three authentic kanji (Chinese characters), the first two of which are the word for China, zhông huá. I don't know the third one. How did Rodríguez get them? Before 1941 the garden was called the Japanese Tea Garden. Were the kanji added after the name change?
[rodriguez's signature.]
Dionicio Rodríguez signed several of his larger works, including this one. This is the usual spelling of his name, though you will also see "Dionisio" and "Rodrigues". I have omitted the accent mark in his name in places where it would cause problems with search engines.
[bridge in brackenridge park.]
This charming "log" bridge is at the headwaters of the San Antonio River, on the north side of Brackenridge Park just south of Hildebrand.
Charles Baumberger, president of the San Antonio Portland Cement Company (now Alamo Cement Company), probably commissioned this work and several others.
[detail of bridge.]
Detail of the bridge, still in remarkably good condition after having been exposed to the hazards of traffic from the adjacent road for more than 60 years. Occasional breaks in the concrete do expose the wire armature beneath it.
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November 5th, 2001