The First Garden Water Features

The First Garden Water Features Water fountains were originally practical in purpose, used to convey water from canals or springs to cities and villages, providing the residents with fresh water to drink, wash, and cook with. First Garden Water Features 93352446572182.jpg

First Garden Water Features 93352446572182.jpg

The force of gravity was the power supply of water fountains up until the conclusion of the 19th century, using the potent power of water traveling downhill from a spring or creek to push the water through valves or other outlets. Typically used as monuments and commemorative structures, water fountains have influenced people from all over the globe throughout the centuries. Crude in style, the 1st water fountains didn't appear much like present fountains. Crafted for drinking water and ceremonial functions, the 1st fountains were simple carved stone basins. The original stone basins are thought to be from around 2000 B.C.. Early fountains put to use in ancient civilizations depended on gravity to manipulate the movement of water through the fountain. These ancient water fountains were created to be functional, commonly situated along reservoirs, creeks and rivers to supply drinking water. Beasts, Gods, and spectral figures dominated the early ornate Roman fountains, starting to appear in about 6 BC. The people of Rome had an elaborate system of aqueducts that supplied the water for the numerous fountains that were situated throughout the urban center.

Greece: Architectural Statues

Greece: Architectural Statues Traditionally, most sculptors were paid by the temples to adorn the involved pillars and archways with renderings of the gods, but as the era came to a close it grew to be more common for sculptors to portray regular people as well simply because many Greeks had begun to think of their institution as superstitious rather than sacred. Portraiture came to be widespread as well, and would be embraced by the Romans when they conquered the Greeks, and on occasion affluent households would commission a representation of their progenitors to be placed inside their huge familial burial tombs. A point of aesthetic progression, the use of sculpture and alternate art forms transformed during the Greek Classical period, so it is inaccurate to assume that the arts served only one function. Whether to gratify a visual craving or to celebrate the figures of religion, Greek sculpture was an innovative method in the ancient world, which may well be what attracts our focus today.

When and Where Did Water Fountains Emerge?

When and Where Did Water Fountains Emerge? The translation of hundreds of ancient Greek texts into Latin was commissioned by the learned Pope Nicholas V who led the Church in Rome from 1397 until 1455. It was imperative for him to beautify the city of Rome to make it worthy of being known as the capital of the Christian world. Starting in 1453, the ruined ancient Roman aqueduct known as the Aqua Vergine which had brought clean drinking water into the city from eight miles away, underwent reconstruction at the bidding of the Pope. The ancient Roman tradition of building an awe-inspiring commemorative fountain at the point where an aqueduct arrived, also known as a mostra, was restored by Nicholas V. The present-day location of the Trevi Fountain was previously occupied by a wall fountain commissioned by the Pope and constructed by the architect Leon Battista Alberti. The water which eventually provided the Trevi Fountain as well as the famed baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and Piazza Navona came from the modified aqueduct which he had renovated.

The Defining Characteristics of Ancient Greek Sculpture

The Defining Characteristics of Ancient Greek Sculpture Archaic Greeks were well known for providing the first freestanding statuary; up till then, most carvings were made out of walls and pillars as reliefs. Defining Characteristics Ancient Greek Sculpture 728117607.jpg

Defining Characteristics Ancient Greek Sculpture 728117607.jpg

Younger, ideal male or female (kore) Greeks were the subject matter of most of the sculptures, or kouros figures. Thought of by Greeks to represent skin care, the kouroi were shaped into firm, forward facing poses with one foot outstretched, and the male statues were always nude, well-developed, and fit. The kouroi started to be life-sized commencing in 650 BC. The Archaic period was tumultuous for the Greeks as they evolved into more sophisticated forms of government and art, and obtained more information about the peoples and civilizations outside of Greece. Throughout this time and other periods of historic tumult, clashes often took place, among them wars fought between city-states such as the Arcadian wars and the Spartan invasion of Samos.