Where did Landscape Fountains Begin?
Where did Landscape Fountains Begin? The incredible architecture of a fountain allows it to provide clean water or shoot water high into air for dramatic effect and it can also serve as an excellent design feature to complete your home.The central purpose of a fountain was originally strictly functional.
Water fountains were linked to a spring or aqueduct to provide potable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages. Up until the 19th century, fountains had to be higher and closer to a water source, including aqueducts and reservoirs, in order to take advantage of gravity which fed the fountains. Fountains were not only utilized as a water source for drinking water, but also to adorn homes and celebrate the artist who created it. Roman fountains often depicted imagery of animals or heroes made of metal or stone masks. Muslims and Moorish landscaping designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller models of the gardens of paradise. The fountains seen in the Gardens of Versailles were supposed to show the power over nature held by King Louis XIV of France. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries created baroque decorative fountains to exalt the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the spot where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.
Since indoor plumbing became the norm of the day for fresh, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely ornamental. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity enabled fountains to deliver recycled water into living spaces as well as create special water effects.
Modern-day fountains function mostly as decoration for community spaces, to honor individuals or events, and enhance entertainment and recreational gatherings.
The Main Characteristics of Classic Greek Statues
The Main Characteristics of Classic Greek Statues The first freestanding statuary was developed by the Archaic Greeks, a recognized accomplishment since until then the sole carvings in existence were reliefs cut into walls and columns. Kouros figures, sculptures of adolescent, good-looking male or female (kore) Greeks, made up the bulk of the statues. Representing beauty to the Greeks, the kouroi were made to appear rigid and always had foot in front; the males were healthy, powerful, and nude. In 650 BC, life-sized models of the kouroi began to be observed. Throughout the Archaic time, a big time of change, the Greeks were developing new types of government, expressions of art, and a greater understanding of people and cultures outside Greece. However, these clashes did little to hamper the advancement of the Greek civilization.