Bernini: The Master of Italy's Most Impressive Fountains
Bernini: The Master of Italy's Most Impressive Fountains The Barcaccia, Bernini's very first fountain, is a striking chef d'oeuvre built at the foot of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. To this day, this area is filled with Roman locals and tourists alike who enjoy conversation and each other's company. The streets neighboring his water fountain have come to be one of the city’s most trendy meeting places, something which would certainly have pleased Bernini himself. The master's very first water fountain of his career was built at around 1630 at the behest of Pope Urbano VIII. People can now see the fountain as an illustration of a commanding ship gradually sinking into the Mediterranean. The great flooding of the Tevere that blanketed the whole region with water in the 16th was memorialized by this momentous fountain as recorded by documents dating back to this time. In 1665, France was graced by Bernini's only extended voyage outside of Italy.
The Major Characteristics of Ancient Greek Statuary
The Major Characteristics of Ancient Greek Statuary
The primitive Greeks built the 1st freestanding statuary, an impressive achievement as most sculptures up until then had been reliefs cut into walls and pillars. Most of these freestanding sculptures were what is known as kouros figures, statues of young, attractive male or female (kore) Greeks. The kouroi were considered by the Greeks to embody beauty and were sculpted with one foot leading and an uncompromising stiffness to their forward-facing poses; the male statues were always strapping, brawny, and naked. In about 650 BC, the variations of the kouroi became life-sized. The Archaic period was tumultuous for the Greeks as they evolved into more sophisticated forms of federal government and art, and obtained more data about the peoples and civilizations outside of Greece. Conflicts like The Arcadian wars, the Spartan invasion of Samos, and other wars among city-states are suggestive of the disruptive nature of the time, which was similar to other periods of historical disturbance. However, these conflicts did not significantly hinder the advancement of the Greek civilization.
The Origins of Modern Outdoor Wall Fountains
The Origins of Modern Outdoor Wall Fountains Pope Nicholas V, himself a learned man, ruled the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 to 1455 during which time he commissioned many translations of ancient classical Greek texts into Latin. He undertook the embellishment of Rome to make it into the worthy seat 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 behest of the Pope.
The ancient Roman custom of building an imposing commemorative fountain at the location where an aqueduct arrived, also known as a mostra, was resurrected by Nicholas V. At the behest of the Pope, architect Leon Battista Alberti began the construction of a wall fountain in the spot where we now find the Trevi Fountain. The Trevi Fountain as well as the renowned baroque fountains located in the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza Navona were eventually supplied with water from the altered aqueduct he had rebuilt.
The Genesis Of Wall Fountains
The Genesis Of Wall Fountains A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to provide drinkable water, as well as for decorative purposes. From the onset, outdoor fountains were simply there to serve as functional elements. Residents of urban areas, townships and small towns utilized them as a source of drinking water and a place to wash, which meant that fountains needed to be linked to nearby aqueduct or spring. Until the late 19th, century most water fountains functioned using the force of gravity to allow water to flow or jet into the air, therefore, they needed a source of water such as a reservoir or aqueduct located higher than the fountain. Acting as an element of adornment and celebration, fountains also supplied clean, fresh drinking water. Bronze or stone masks of animals and heroes were commonly seen on Roman fountains. Throughout the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden planners incorporated fountains to create smaller depictions of the gardens of paradise. King Louis XIV of France wanted to illustrate his superiority over nature by including fountains in the Gardens of Versailles. To mark the entryway of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the construction of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts arrived in the city of Rome
Indoor plumbing became the key source of water by the end of the 19th century thereby restricting urban fountains to mere decorative elements. Amazing water effects and recycled water were made possible by replacing the power of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Modern-day fountains function mostly as decoration for open spaces, to honor individuals or events, and compliment entertainment and recreational gatherings.