Statuary As a Staple of Vintage Art in Historic Greece

Statuary As a Staple of Vintage Art in Historic Greece Archaic Greeks were known for developing the first freestanding statuary; up till then, most carvings were formed out of walls and pillars as reliefs. Most of the freestanding statues were of young, winsome male or female (kore) Greeks and are called kouros figures. The kouroi were believed by the Greeks to represent beauty and were sculpted with one foot leading and an uncompromising firmness to their forward-facing poses; the male statues were always strapping, sinewy, and undressing. In about 650 BC, the differences of the kouroi became life-sized. The Archaic period was turbulent for the Greeks as they evolved into more sophisticated forms of government and art, and acquired more data about the peoples and societies outside of Greece. Throughout this time and other durations of historic tumultuousness, encounters often happened, most notably battles fought between city-states such as the Arcadian wars and the Spartan infiltration of Samos.

Anglo-Saxon Gardens at the Time of the Norman Conquest

Anglo-Saxon Gardens at the Time of the Norman Conquest The arrival of the Normans in the 2nd half of the eleventh century irreparably altered The Anglo-Saxon lifestyle. The talent of the Normans exceeded the Anglo-Saxons' in design and agriculture at the time of the conquest. But there was no time for home life, domestic architecture, and adornment until the Normans had overcome the whole region. Because of this, castles were cruder buildings than monasteries: Monasteries were usually important stone buildings located in the biggest and most fertile valleys, while castles were built on windy crests where their citizens devoted time and space to projects for offense and defense. The barren fortresses did not provide for the quiet avocation of farming. The purest example of the early Anglo-Norman style of architecture existent in modern times is Berkeley Castle. The keep is said to date from William the Conqueror's time period. As a technique of deterring assailants from tunneling under the walls, an immense terrace encircles the building. One of these terraces, a charming bowling green, is covered grass and flanked by an old yew hedge cut into the shape of crude battlements.

The Dispersion of Fountain Design Knowledge

The Dispersion of Fountain Design Knowledge Dissiminating practical hydraulic knowledge and fountain design ideas throughout Europe was accomplished with the written papers and illustrated books of the time. In the late 1500's, a French fountain designer (whose name has been lost) was the internationally renowned hydraulics innovator. His know-how in making landscapes and grottoes with incorporated and brilliant water features began in Italy and with commissions in Brussels, London and Germany. In France, near the end of his life, he penned “The Principle of Moving Forces”, a publication which became the primary text on hydraulic mechanics and engineering. Describing the latest hydraulic technologies, the publication also modified key hydraulic discoveries of classical antiquity. The water screw, a mechanical way to move water, and invented by Archimedes, was featured in the book. Two concealed containers heated up by sunlight in an space adjacent to the decorative water fountain were presented in an illustration. The hot liquid expands and then ascends and closes the water lines thereby activating the water fountain. The book also mentions garden ponds, water wheels, water feature creations.