A mural that gave a West Side eatery some of its flavor is now gone. But a new mural unveiled this week recreates some of that original beauty.
Artist Analy Diego says the mural's subject is a larger-than-life character.
"Henry B. Gonzalez. He was an important person in our city,” she said. “He helped shape who we are today. He was a congressman."
Gonzalez’s 38 years representing the 20th Congressional District left indelible marks on the city. And one of those was a mural.
"This mural was part of the Estella's Restaurant on the West Side. And it stood there for many years along with two other murals created by Ronald Rocha, but the property got bought out by someone else, and they demolished the walls without properly documenting them," Diego said.
The original mural hadn't been well-photographed, so Diego had to research and learn all the little nuances of Gonzalez's features to get the re-creation right.
"Yes, this was so stressful and at the same time exciting for me that I wanted to give it justice, and hopefully, I did," she said.
The new 10-foot-by-10-foot mural was created on computer and then printed out on canvas that was hung at the convention center, which is named for Gonzalez.
That ensures that what happened to the last mural won't happen to this one.
"Exactly. They want to be able to take it if need be, to whatever other location,” Diego said.
Jack Morgan can be reached at Jack@TPR.org and on Twitter at @JackMorganii.
