The Major Characteristics of Classic Greek Statuary
The Major Characteristics of Classic Greek Statuary
Contemporary Garden Decoration: Outdoor Fountains and their Beginnings
Contemporary Garden Decoration: Outdoor Fountains and their Beginnings A fountain, an amazing piece of engineering, not only supplies drinking water as it pours into a basin, it can also propel water high into the air for an extraordinary effect.From the onset, outdoor fountains were soley there to serve as functional elements. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to supply them with drinking water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. Up to the late nineteenth century, water fountains had to be near an aqueduct or reservoir and more elevated than the fountain so that gravity could make the water flow down or shoot high into the air. Artists thought of fountains as amazing additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to provide clean water and celebrate the artist responsible for building it. Roman fountains often depicted imagery of animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks. Throughout the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden planners included fountains to create mini variations of the gardens of paradise. The fountains seen in the Gardens of Versailles were supposed to show the power over nature held by King Louis XIV of France. To mark the entrance of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the building of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts arrived in the city of Rome
Urban fountains made at the end of the nineteenth served only as decorative and celebratory adornments since indoor plumbing provided the essential drinking water. Gravity was replaced by mechanical pumps in order to permit fountains to bring in clean water and allow for beautiful water displays.
These days, fountains decorate public spaces and are used to pay tribute to individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Outdoor Fountains
Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Outdoor Fountains There are countless popular water fountains in the city center of Rome. One of the best ever sculptors and artists of the 17th century, nearly all of them were designed, conceptualized and constructed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.