345 / 540
THE ITALIAN LEGACY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
344
her right hand and her other hand lifting a veil to uncover her face, a symbol of liberation. Abelardo’s project,
however, was never carried out.
In 1919, the sculptor also produced bronze busts of Duarte, Sánchez, and Mella—by then recognized as
fathers of the homeland—that were commissioned by the Santo Domingo City Council; also produced were
three plaster high-reliefs, with species of parchments serving as the background and Duarte’s face framed by
the national flag, Sánchez’s by a palm, and Mella’s by a laurel.
The city of Santo Domingo would have to wait until 1928 for the idea of the Duarte Monument proposed
by Emiliano Tejera in 1894 to be revived through an international competition, announced on March 19, 1928.
The Italian sculptor Arturo Tomagnini was the winner (Rodríguez Demorizi, 1977, 134). The artist received
25,000 gold pesos for the work (Adróver de Cibrán, 1974, 113).
It should be noted that, at the time, Spanish, French, and Italian artists were brought frequently to Latin
America to carry out monumental works. The Italian Pietro Tenerani designed the sculpture of Simón Bolívar in
the Plaza Mayor in Bogotá (1846); Salvatore Ravelli was the creator of the Columbus Monument in Lima (1860);
and Giuseppe Graziosi created the Columbus Monument in La Paz. Works by the Catalan artist Agustí Querol
i Subirats include the Monument to Justo José de Urquiza (1920) in Paraná, Argentina, consisting of a marble
pedestal and a bronze equestrian sculpture by Mariano Benlliure; and the Monument to the Spanish in Buenos
Aires, Argentina, inaugurated in 1927. The Frenchman Louis Rochet created the Monument to Pedro I in Rio de
Janeiro (1862), while Paul Landowski was the author of the admired Christ the Redeemer of Corcovado in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil, 1931 (Gutiérrez Viñuales, 2004). In Santo Domingo, we have the statue of Bishop Billini (1898)
and the Columbus Monument (1887), both by the French sculptor Ernest Guilbert. Also, the Mausoleum of Co-
lumbus, depository of the admiral’s remains, was designed by the architect Fernando Romeu and the sculptor
Pedro Carbonell Huguet at the end of the last century. This funerary monument was located in the Cathedral of
Santo Domingo until 1992, when it was transferred to the Columbus Lighthouse, where it remains to this day.
By 1928, Abelardo Rodríguez Urdaneta (1870–1933) was entirely focused on photography; bronze casting
was barely being carried out in the Dominican Republic, which would explain why Arturo Tomagnini won
the competition for the Duarte Monument. Tomagnini (Pietrasanta, Lucca, Italy 1879 –1957) was an artist
with vast experience in creating monumental works in various Latin American countries. In Panama, he
carved in Carrara marble the frieze on the façade of the National Institute of Panama, a work which represents
the themes of art, literature, and science and which measures 8.8 by 1.6 meters (1911). In Argentina, Tomag-
nini created several works, including the equestrian sculpture of General Belgrano, a bronze inaugurated on
October 28, 1919 in Santiago del Estero, as well as the monument to Lieutenant Origone, carved in Carrara
marble and inaugurated on July 8, 1917 in Villa Mercedes, San Luis.
The Juan Pablo Duarte Monument consists of a granite-clad concrete pedestal placed on a square base
separated from the ground, a first level comprising square pieces of granite and a series of staircases with four
steps each that are repeated on all four sides. The blocks that support the pedestal are organized such that there
are three casts in bronze to form a very balanced and significant group, which results in an overwhelming
sense of balance, rationality, and harmony. In the upper part of the monument, facing west, stands the figure
of the illustrious Juan Pablo Duarte—head raised and looking toward the horizon, the fingers of his right hand
touching his chest, and his left hand holding a parchment inscribed with the words “God, Country, Liberty—
Dominican Republic.” On the front of the pedestal is a sculpture, also in bronze, of the goddess Victory—an al-
legory of the Dominican Republic—sitting with her right arm raised and holding a laurel wreath. Next to her,
standing, is a young Apollo, half naked and rendered in bronze, with his right arm extended toward Victory’s
right thigh and his left arm supported by a sword. Behind him, on the right and left, are two eagles with their
wings spread and incised ornamental details with Art Deco characteristics, thereby identifying the monument
with its time, as well as a kind of cushion with incised
leaves decorating the pedestal supporting the figure of
Duarte. The eagle motif is also found on the eastern part of the pedestal. At the foot of the statue, there is a
plaque with the following inscription: