Bernini's Early Showpieces

Bernini's Early Showpieces Bernini's Early Showpieces 34659046.jpg

The Barcaccia, Bernini's first water fountain, is a magnificent chef d'oeuvre built at the bottom of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. To this day, this area is filled with Roman locals and travelers alike who enjoy debate and each other's company. The streets surrounding his fountain have come to be one of the city’s most fashionable gathering places, something which would certainly have pleased Bernini himself. In about 1630, the great artist built the very first water fountain of his career at the behest of Pope Ubano VIII. Depicted in the fountain's design is a large vessel slowly sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. Period reports dating back to the 16th century indicate that the fountain was constructed as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the great flooding of the Tevere. In 1665, France was graced by Bernini's one-and-only prolonged journey outside of Italy.

Gian Bernini's Garden Fountains

Gian Bernini's Garden Fountains There are numerous celebrated water features in Rome’s city center. Gian Lorenzo Bernini, one of the best sculptors and artists of the 17th century planned, conceived and built almost all of them. His abilities as a fountain creator and also as a city designer, are visible all through the avenues of Rome. Eventually transferring to Rome to completely express their art, primarily in the shape of community water features, Bernini’s father, a renowned Florentine sculptor, guided his young son. The juvenile Bernini was an great employee and won compliments and backing of important artists as well as popes. His sculpture was originally his claim to glory. Most famously in the Vatican, he used a base of knowledge in ancient Greek architecture and melded it flawlessly with Roman marble. Although many artists had an impact on his work, Michelangelo had the most profound effect.

Anglo Saxon Landscapes at the Time of the Norman Conquest

Anglo Saxon Landscapes at the Time of the Norman Conquest Anglo-Saxons encountered extraordinary modifications to their daily lives in the latter half of the eleventh century due to the accession of the Normans. The Normans were better than the Anglo-Saxons at architecture and horticulture when they came into power. But the Normans had to pacify the overall territory before they could focus on home life, domestic architecture, and decoration. Monasteries and castles served different functions, so while monasteries were massive stone structures assembled in only the most productive, wide dales, castles were set upon blustery knolls where the residents focused on understanding offensive and defensive tactics. The serene practice of gardening was impractical in these dismal bastions. The early Anglo-Norman style of architecture is represented in Berkeley Castle, which is most likely the most untouched example we have. The keep is thought to date from the time of William the Conqueror. A spacious terrace meant for walking and as a means to stop attackers from mining below the walls runs about the building. A scenic bowling green, enveloped in grass and bordered by battlements cut out of an ancient yew hedge, makes one of the terraces.