7 Sculptures by Gaspar Mario Cruz

Baquini, sculpture by Gaspar Mario Cruz
Baquiní
Mahogany, 46 x 37 x 34 inches, completed in 2006

Taina, sculpture by Gaspar Mario Cruz
Taina
Mahogany, 55 x 14 x 10 inches, completed in 1980

Cacica (Chieftain), sculpture by Gaspar Mario Cruz
Cacica (Chieftain)
Mahogany, 22 x 12 x 6 inches, completed in 1980

The Family, sculpture by Gaspar Mario Cruz
The Family
Mahogany, 24 x 11 x 13 inches, completed in 1950-60

The Lovers, sculpture by Gaspar Mario Cruz
The Lovers
Mahogany, 26 x 9 x 8 inches, completed in 1950-60

The Lovers, sculpture by Gaspar Mario Cruz
The Lovers
Bronze, 20 x 4 x 3 inches, completed in 1950-60

The Lovers, sculpture by Gaspar Mario Cruz
The Lovers
Wood, 42 x 10 x 11 inches, completed in 1948

Sculptures by Gaspar Mario Cruz

His themes and subjects are the people and stories of the Dominican Republic. His preferred medium was Mahogany wood, with that rich brown color that matched his skin. Gaspar Mario Cruz (1929-2006) was born in San Francisco de Macoris, where he remembers molding his first clay figure when he was only eight years old.
His sculptures, mostly wood carvings, associate the material of nature with legends and popular beliefs about gods, powers and ability to survive, achieving a great metaphor for nature and life.
–Jeanette Miller: Gaspar Mario Cruz 'The Poet of Forms'

Cruz studied art at the National School of Fine Arts under Manolo Pascual and Juan Cristóbal. He was a founding member of the Groupo Projecta—which members include; Leopoldo Perez, Fernando Peña Defilló, Thimo Pimentel, Ada Balcácer, Domingo Liz and Félix Gontier.