Artist Jose Luis Gonzalez recreates The Last Supper in sand, 2003 in San Pedro
San Pedro Sun story from 2003:
Artist Jose Luis Gonzalez returned for the third time to San Pedro this Easter weekend to create a sculpture of Jesus Christ at The Last Supper with his 12 disciples, breaking bread and drinking wine. "La Isla Bonita" was privileged, once again, to welcome the 26 year-old artist from Mexico who was most recently in San Pedro last January where he displayed other magnificent sand sculptures at Central Park. His most famous creations at that time were of "La Piedad" and Jesus Christ on Mount Sinai.
Although this master has traveled throughout South and Central America sculpting sand for the last eight years, he has been a sculptor for a total of 14 years, fashioning wonderful pieces of art using marble, cement and other solid materials for the enjoyment of tourists and residents. Jose Luis finances his visits with the tips that he receives from those who view his brilliant creations.
According to Jose Luis, his artwork uplifts the spirits of residents and tourists and is the result of hours of labor. He quite enjoys making art for the viewing pleasure of all, for "San Pedro is very beautiful. I am very pleased to be here." Preparing the material for the sculpture is a long process. He must first map out and mark off the area where he will work. Secondly, Jose Luis wets the sand, applies another layer of sand, and compacts this material. He repeats this process until the amount of sand he will be sculpting is adequate (six hours for his current project!). He places an individual block of sand for the bodies and for the heads, and begins to sculpt. Jose Luis then adds the final touches to his masterpiece - acrylic paint - that, if left untouched and the weather cooperates, could last up to a month. The magnificent work of art that presently graces this island, took the artist a total of six days to complete!
Jose Luis departed for Playa del Carmen on Tuesday, but plans to return in the near future to create more art. "I have made too many friends in San Pedro to leave the island for long. I would love to someday create a sculpture for the town council." He plans to request permission from the San Pedro Town Council to dedicate a sculpture to the town, if he is provided with the materials to carry out his project. So, perhaps when Jose Luis Gonzalez returns, tourists and residents will be privileged to have another glimpse of this artist's inspirational works.
Photograph by Marty Casado
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