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History and Literature

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.

Music

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.

Other famous people

Bencomo. Mencey (king) of Taoro, who lead the Guanche forces against the conquering Spanish invaders. Died in 1495, in the battle of La Laguna, against the troops of the Captain General. In the final battle Alonso Fernandez de Lugo's army faced the Guanches, led by Bentorey (Bentor), a son of Bencomo, who decided to commit suicide when he was defeated. A grandson of Bencomo, christened as Cristobal Hernandez de Taoro (Cristobal Bencomo), studied law on the mainland and is the author of a chronicle, that has subsequently disappeared, of the history of the Guanche people.

Dacil, Guanche princess and legendary character mentioned by Antonio de Viana in his work La Conquista de Tenerife (1604), her love for captain Gonzalo del Castillo symbolises the normalisation of the new island society, the foundation of the historic identity of Tenerife.

Jose de Anchieta (La Laguna, 1534 - Anchieta, Brazil, 1597). He studied with the Jesuits in Coimbra, Portugal, and joined their order in 1551, leaving for Brazil in 1553. He opened the San Pablo college, which was the nucleus around which the city of Sao Paulo developed. He was one of the oldest and most important authors of colonial Brazil. He wrote in Portuguese, Latin and Tupi (the language of the Tupinambo indians). His Tupi grammar is interesting, as are several of his dramatic poems. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 20th of June, 1980.

Pedro de Betancur (Vilaflor, 1626 - Guatemala, 1667). He set off for America at 23. He lived in Cuba and later settled in Guatemala. He founded the Betlemite order, which does much hospital work, the first religious congregation to emerge in America. The order was given Papal approval by Clement X in 1672, He was beatified by John Paul II in 1980.

Alonso de Nava y Grimon. 4th Marquis of Villanueva del Prado (La Laguna, 1756 - 1832). He hosted the Nava Tertulia (intellectual discussion group) that was the core of the leading figures of the enlightenment in the Canary Islands. He directed the Real Sociedad Economica de Amigos del Pais de Tenerife. He presided over the Canary Islands Supreme Council in 1808.

Leopoldo O'Donell y Jorris, Duke of Tetuan and Count of Lucena (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1809 - Biarritz, France, 1867). He was head of the government for three terms during the reign of Isabel II, and was Minister of War. He also enjoyed important military successes, especially in the African war of 1859 - 1860. Juan Bautista Antequera y Bobadilla (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 1823 - Madrid, 1890). Rear Admiral, Navy Minister and life-time Senator for Tenerife. He won naval honours in the Pacific campaign and formed part of the crew of the Numancia, the first armoured ship to sail around the world.

Science and Technology

Agustin de Betancourt (Puerto de la Cruz, 1758 - St. Petersburg, 1828). Engineer, trained in Madrid and Paris. In 1802, he founded the School of Roads, Canals and Ports Engineers in Madrid. He was the director. In Paris, he directed the Royal Cabinet of Machines. In 1807, he went to Russia, where he was appointed Field Marshall and head of the Institute of the Engineers corps by Tsar Alexander I. From 1819, he was in charge of the department of Communications for Imperial Russia. He designed and built steam ships and drew up many blue-prints for factories and the first arched bridge to be built in Russia.

Antonio Gonzalez Gonzalez (Los Realejos, 1917-2002). Professor of Organic Chemistry and Biology at the University of La Laguna from 1946 to 1986. The Advanced Scientific Research Council appointed him Head of the Organic Chemistry Section in 1945. In 1963, he was appointed director of the Tenerife Institute of Chemical Research, the precursor of the Institute of Natural Organic Products. He started a school with international repercussions, especially in Latin America. King Juan Carlos I made him a Senator in 1977. He has been awarded the Canary Island Research prize (1984) and the Prince of Asturias prize (1986).

Painting

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.

Sculpture

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 del 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.