Roberto Cardinale

“I have been infatuated with ecclesiastical architecture since my early years as a Benedictine monk”

Roberto Cardinale is a renaissance maker and scholar. As an artist, he has been a ceramicist, sculptor, metalsmith, professor, and was president of both the San Antonio Art Institute and the Museum of New Mexico Foundation.

Cardinale's work conveys not only his passion for ecclesiastical architecture but his background as a Benedictine monk. An interplay between artistic expression and sacred devotion, Cardinale hand carves dynamic religious sculptures that capture the spirit, age and beauty of historic landmarks, whether real or imagined.

The surfaces of his pieces are cut and carved from rough sawn pine. Striving to capture the emotion that is imbued in the architecture itself, he creates soft mixtures of color and texture. This gives the works an aged appearance, suggesting the history and wear the structure has endured. We see in his works the glory of the people who built, prayed and celebrated within them. Cardinale’s work is a beautiful example of contemporary art documenting history while stirring the soul.