Bernini: The Genius Behind Italy's Most Impressive Fountains
Bernini: The Genius Behind Italy's Most Impressive Fountains Bernini's earliest water fountain, named Barcaccia, is a masterful work of art seen at the foot of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. To this day, you will see Roman residents and vacation goers occupying this area to revel in chit chatter and being among other people. Bernini would undoubtedly have been happy to know that people still flock to what has become one the city's trendiest areas, that around his amazing fountain. In around 1630, Pope Urbano VIII helped Bernini launch his professional life with the construction of his very first fountain. People can now see the fountain as an illustration of a commanding ship slowly sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. Period writings dating back to the 16th century show that the fountain was built as a monument to those who lost their lives in the great flooding of the Tevere.
In 1665 Bernini journeyed to France, in what was to be his sole extended absence from Italy.
Where did Garden Water Fountains Originate from?
Where did Garden Water Fountains Originate from? 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 a noteworthy effect.From the onset, outdoor fountains were simply there to serve as functional elements. People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, via aqueducts or springs in the vicinity. Used until the nineteenth century, in order for fountains to flow or shoot up into the air, their source of water such as reservoirs or aqueducts, had to be higher than the water fountain in order to benefit from the power of gravity. Designers thought of fountains as wonderful additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to supply clean water and celebrate the artist responsible for creating it. The main components used by the Romans to create their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly depicting animals or heroes.
During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden planners incorporated fountains to create smaller depictions of the gardens of paradise. To demonstrate his prominence over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries created baroque decorative fountains to glorify the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the spot where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.
Urban fountains made at the end of the 19th century served only as decorative and celebratory adornments since indoor plumbing provided the necessary drinking water. The creation of unique water effects and the recycling of water were two things made possible by swapping gravity with mechanical pumps.
Modern-day fountains function mostly as decoration for public spaces, to honor individuals or events, and compliment entertainment and recreational gatherings.