ART AND CULTURE OF TENERIFE
Tradicional
The traditional architecture of the Canary Islands, the architecture of stately homes and more humble houses for the people, takes its inspiration mainly from the traditional architecture of Andalucia and Portugal, although it also has a strong personality of its own.
Auditorio
In Tenerife we can make varied activities, outdoors, or in the multiple parks and attractions that the island has. This way, we will know history, the nature and the culture of the place, of an amused form.
El Cine de Terror
The Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2005 will be hold under the motto: The Great Comedy, inspired in the great musical comedies of Broadway offering an important variety of costume elements and atrezzo and, therefore, a wide range of possibilities when making the disguises and carnival fantasies.
Museos en Tenerife
Culture loving visitors have a long list of both private and public art galleries and museums at their disposition: history, archaeology, anthropology, ethnography, science, crafts, fine arts and natural sciences.
Adeje
The island of Tenerife, has surprising beaches, throughout its extension, white sand beaches, of volcanic sand, natural swimming pools next to the sea, nudist beaches, moved away, immersed creeks in the nature. Everything a paradise to enjoy the sea and the sun, all time.
Senderismo
We suggest different routes to discover the most interesting places in Tenerife,setting out with your own means of transport. We recommend you set out early in the morning with a road map of the island.
Deportes
Tenerife is the ideal place for all kinds of water sports, from spear fishing, fishing with a rod or deep-sea fishing to windsurfing – major international competitions are held in the area of El Medano – and the full range of water sports, al of which can be enjoyed all year round: sailing, diving, surfing, water skiing, canoeing, jet skis, etc.
Parque Nacional
A network of National Parks in the Canary Islands attempts to conserve the most typical ecosystems. The Teide National Park, in the centre of the island of Tenerife, shelters the best example of Canary Island vegetation.
Cocina tradicional
The island cuisine is one of the aspects of our culture that visitors generally know least about. It is however, highly interesting and can provide some very pleasant surprises for anyone who fancies a change from their usual diet or the dishes on offer at many international restaurants, whilst they are on holiday.
A sculptural tradition did not start to emerge in Tenerife until the 17th century, when Martin de Andujar, a sculptor from Seville, arrived in Tenerife. One of his pupils was Blas Garcia Ravelo, from Garachico.
Other sculptors emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries, such as Rodriguez de la Oliva, Lazaro Gonzalez, Sebastian Fernandez and, especially, Fernando Estevez de Sacramento, born in La Orotava and studied under Lujan Perez from Gran Canaria. He left an excellent collection of statues spread over many of Tenerife's churches, like the Cathedral of Candelaria, the Concepcion Church in La Laguna and La Orotava.
Nowadays, there are sculptors like Jose Abad (La Laguna 1942), Jose Luis Fajardo and Fernando Garciarramos.
The first centre for painting in Tenerife was La Laguna, were the first painters started to appear in the 16th century. La Laguna was later followed by other schools like La Orotava, Garachico, Puerto de la Cruz and Santa Cruz.
What are considered two of the best 17th century Canary Island painters were from La Orotava: Gaspar de Quevedo and Cristobal Hernandez de Quintana, whose work can be seen in many of the Island's churches.
In 1775, Luis de la Cruz y Rios was born in Puerto de la Cruz. He was King Ferdinand VII's court painter and an excellent miniaturist. He won great prestige at court, where he was known as El Canario. Some of his paintings can be seen in the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia, in Puerto de la Cruz.
Valentin Sanz, born in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 1849, was the first landscape painter of the Canary Islands. Works of his, like El Paisaje de La Laguna, can be seen in the Santa Cruz Municipal Museum of Fine Arts. The close of the 19th century saw Realism and Impressionism cohabiting with strains of Romanticism that could still be seen in the works of some artists.
Juan Rodriguez Botas (1880 - 1917) was the first impressionist painter of the Islands, and his paintings can be seen in the Santa Cruz Municipal Museum. He followed in the footsteps of Valentin Sanz, but using an impressionist style.
Local expressionist artists include Mariano de Cossio (1890 - 1960). Some of his al frescoes are conserved in the Church of Santo Domingo, in La Laguna. A master of water colours to the point of creating his own school, was Francisco Bonnin Guerin (Sta. Cruz de Tenefie, 1874 - 1963), whose works of art include many country landscapes.
One of the most famous of all Canary Island painters was undoubtedly Oscar Dominguez (La Laguna, 1806 . Paris, 1957), a surrealist who has left a large and highly personal collection of works. Current artists include Pedro Gonzalez (La Laguna, 1927), an artist who teaches in the School of Fine Arts.
The outstanding figure in the field of music is Teobaldo Power y Lugo Viña (Sta. Cruz de Tenerife, 1848 - Madrid, 1884). From childhood he was a virtuoso piano player and composer. After some time in Europe and Havana, his compositions included the famous Cantos Canarios, an important and unique piece of music in the culture of the Islands, as it is the only music that took popular Canary Island airs and successfully adapted them into classical pieces. In Madrid, Power won the Chair of Piano at the National School of Music, and the post of organist in the Royal Chapel.
HISTORY AND LITERATURE Epic poetry reached its peak in Tenerife in the 16th and 17th centuries. One outstanding figure was Antonio de Viana, born in La Laguna in the 16th century, with his famous poem Antiguedades de las Islas Afortunadas, an epic ode to the aboriginal inhabitants of the Islands.
In the 18th century - known as the Century of Light - the following figures stand out in the enlightenment of Tenerife:
• Jose Viera y Clavijo (Realejo Alto, 1731 - Las Palmas, 1813) - centre pin of Canary Island illustration, with an excellent education in a whole variety of fields, His works include "Noticias sobre la Historia General de las Islas Canarias" and Diccionario de Historia Natural de las Islas Canarias. • Tomas de Iriarte (Puerto de la Cruz, 1750 - Madrid, 1791). He had the support of his uncle, Juan de Iriarte, a pupil of Voltaire and director of the Madrid Royal Library. Universally remembered as the author of Fabulas Literarias, he also ran the Mercurio Historico and Politico de Madrid newspapers. His brothers Bernardo and Domingo were influential figures in political and cultural circles. Other outstanding literary figures were:
• Angel Guimera y Jorge (Sta. Cruz de Tenerife, 1845 - Barcelona, 1924). Great poet and dramatic author, considered the father of Catalan theatre. His works inlcude Tierra Baja, Mar y Cielo and La Hija del Mar. • Mercedes Pinto (Sta. Cruz de Tenerife, 1885 - Mexico 1979). Novelist and poet: One of her novels, El, was made into a film by Luis Buñuel. She also wrote Brisas del Teide (verse) and Ella (prose). • Domingo Perez Minik (1903 - 1989). Born in Sta. Cruz de Tenerife and one of the most outstanding figures of literary criticism, he was awarded the National Theatre prize and the Canary Island Literature prize.
