The Council of Tenerife inaugurates the traditional Christmas nativity scene, entitled The night of love, the work of the Isoran artist Carlos Curbelo. The island president Pedro Martín explains that “this year’s proposal is based on a different way of interpreting the birth, with the intervention of Saint Joseph while he holds the Child Jesus in his arms and values the shared duty of care.” A nod to equality and another to climate change, according to the author, with an arid landscape, where sand dominates, under a starry sky with the Milky Way highlighted.
Martín indicates that “this year the nativity scene is based on a classic model, but opts for a different alternative not only in the pilgrimage of the Three Wise Men, but in the way of interpreting the birth with the role of Saint Joseph.”
The nativity scene maker Carlos Curbelo indicates that his proposal is inspired by the moment of the birth of Jesus and the main protagonists. The three Kings mounted on camels and accompanied by their pages, the annunciation to the shepherds, the inn and the mystery “where Saint Joseph takes center stage with great tenderness after the birth of Mary”. He adds that “all this in a very intimate nocturnal setting, with indirect lighting, bonfires or torches to help enjoy that magical moment.”
The portal has scenes of deep symbolism, as in the inn. There, a rich old woman pretends to have space for her money while the couple stays out of it and that is how she represents Curbelo, with the coins in her hand.
The representation takes shape with figures between 50 and 60 centimeters high, made with the construction technique of Neapolitan nativity scenes, in which the appearance of being in motion is achieved by joints, made inside with a wire frame lined with tow. , to which heads, arms, hands and feet are attached, made by the artist himself in polychrome fired clay. The presence of animals such as donkeys, roosters, camels, sheep and dogs stands out.
On the other hand, from the main façade of the Cabildo hangs a reproduction of the painting Adoration of the Magi to the Child Jesus, anonymously authored and from the 17th century, which is located in the Parish of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, a work that the Island Council of Tenerife, through the Insular Directorate of Territorial Planning and Historical Heritage, contributed to restoring it in 2021.
The portal will remain open to the public every day until January 6, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and from 4:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., except on the 24th and 31st (from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) and on December 25 and January 1 and 6 (from 4:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.).
