Modern Garden Decor: Fountains and their Beginnings
Modern Garden Decor: Fountains and their Beginnings
A fountain, an incredible 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. The primary purpose of a fountain was originally strictly practical. People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, from aqueducts or springs nearby. Up to the late 19th century, water fountains had to be near an aqueduct or reservoir and more elevated than the fountain so that gravity could make the water move down or shoot high into the air. Fountains were an excellent source of water, and also served to decorate living areas and celebrate the designer. Bronze or stone masks of animals and heroes were commonly seen on Roman fountains. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden designers included fountains in their designs to re-create the gardens of paradise. The fountains found in the Gardens of Versailles were meant to show the power over nature held by King Louis XIV of France. The Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries were glorified with baroque style fountains built to mark the place of entry of Roman aqueducts.
The end of the 19th century saw the rise in usage of indoor plumbing to supply drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to purely decorative elements. The creation of special water effects and the recycling of water were two things made possible by swapping gravity with mechanical pumps.
Modern fountains are used to embellish public spaces, honor individuals or events, and enhance recreational and entertainment events.
Ancient Garden Fountain Artists
Ancient Garden Fountain Artists
Often working as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and cultivated scholars all in one, from the 16th to the late 18th century, fountain designers were multi-talented people, Throughout the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci exemplified the creator as an inspired intellect, creator and scientific expert. He systematically captured his ideas in his now renowned notebooks, after his immense curiosity in the forces of nature led him to examine the properties and motion of water. Converting private villa settings into amazing water showcases full with symbolic interpretation and natural beauty, early Italian fountain designers paired curiosity with hydraulic and horticultural knowledge. The humanist Pirro Ligorio, distinguished for his virtuosity in archeology, architecture and garden design, offered the vision behind the splendors in Tivoli. For the assorted estates close to Florence, other fountain engineers were well versed in humanistic topics and classical technical texts, masterminding the incredible water marbles, water attributes and water jokes.
Statues As a Staple of Classic Art in Ancient Greece
Statues As a Staple of Classic Art in Ancient Greece
The first freestanding statuary was developed by the Archaic Greeks, a notable accomplishment since until then the only carvings in existence were reliefs cut into walls and pillars. Youthful, appealing male or female (kore) Greeks were the subject matter of most of the sculptures, or kouros figures. The kouroi, viewed as by the Greeks to represent beauty, had one foot stretched out of a fixed forward-facing pose and the male statues were regularly unclothed, with a strong, powerful build. The kouroi became life-sized commencing in 650 BC. Throughout the Archaic period, a great time of change, the Greeks were developing new types of government, expressions of art, and a greater comprehension of people and cultures outside Greece. Comparable to many other periods of historical conflict, conflicts were commonplace, and there were struggles between city-states like The Arcadian wars, the Spartan invasion of Samos.