Dionicio Rodriguez

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Entrance of the Japanese Tea Gardens in San Antonio, Texas
Entrance of the Japanese Tea Gardens in San Antonio, Texas

Dionicio Rodriguez (1891-1955) is a Mexican-born artist and architect.

He is known for his unique style of concrete construction that imitated wood. Gates, benches and artificial rock formations were created by the artist to invite visitors to rest or to explore the landscape.

One of his major works of art, the Crystal Shrine Grotto and sculptures at the Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.[1]

Contents

[edit] Japanese Tea Gardens - San Antonio, TX

Main article: San Antonio Japanese Tea Gardens

For the Japanese Tea Gardens in San Antonio, Texas he replicated a Japanese Torii gate at the entrance to the gardens.

With the rise of anti-Japanese sentiment of World War II in the 1940s, the gardens were renamed the Chinese Tea Gardens. In 1984, the city restored the original "Japanese Tea Garden" designation in a ceremony.

[edit] Memorial Park Cemetery - Memphis, TN

Crystal Shrine Grotto in the Memorial Park Cemetery, Memphis, Tennessee (2007)
Crystal Shrine Grotto in the Memorial Park Cemetery, Memphis, Tennessee (2007)
Main article: Memorial Park Cemetery, Memphis

In 1935 Rodriguez was hired to beautify the Memorial Park Cemetery, Memphis, Tennessee with sculptures. Annie Laurie’s Wishing Chair, Broken Tree Bench, Abrahams Oak, Pool of Hebron and Cave of Machpelah are some of the most important sculptures that can be found throughout the cemetery.[2]

[edit] Crystal Shrine Grotto

Construction of the Crystal Shrine Grotto begins in 1938. The grotto is a 60 ft (18.3 m) deep, hand-built cave in a hillside near the center of the cemetery, filled with 5 tons (4.5 t) of quartz crystal, hence the name Crystal Shrine Grotto.[2] The shrines in the grotto illustrate the stages of "Christ's Journey on the Earth from Birth to Resurrection".

Rodriguez' sculptures and the Crystal Shrine Grotto in the Memorial Park Cemetery are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.[1]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
  2. ^ a b http://www.memorialparkfuneralandcemetery.com/history.aspx Memorial Park Cemetery website

[edit] External links

  • [1] Capturing Nature: The Cement Sculpture of Dionicio Rodriguez, a book about Rodriguez's work