Contemporary Garden Decoration: Outdoor Fountains and their Beginnings
Contemporary Garden Decoration: Outdoor Fountains and their Beginnings 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 enhance your home.Originally, fountains only served a practical purpose. Water fountains were connected to a spring or aqueduct to supply potable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages. Until the late nineteenth, 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. Designers thought of fountains as wonderful additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to supply clean water and honor the artist responsible for creating it. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often utilized by Romans to decorate their fountains.
During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden designers included fountains in their designs to mimic 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. To mark the entrance of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the building of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts entered the city of Rome
Since indoor plumbing became the standard 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. Impressive water effects and recycled water were made possible by switching the force of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Modern fountains are used to adorn community spaces, honor individuals or events, and enhance recreational and entertainment events.
The Countless Styles of Exterior Fountains
The Countless Styles of Exterior Fountains Turn your garden into what you have always wanted – a haven of peace. You can benefit from a water feature by integrating an outdoor fountain to your garden and creating a place of tranquility. A eye-catching impact is produced when a spouting fountain sends a shooting stream of water up into the air. Large, existing ponds can easily be fitted with one of these. Esplanades and traditional mansions often have one these water features.
One of the many examples of an outdoor water feature is a chic wall fountain. Even with a smallish yard, it is feasible to add one of these water features. Wall fountains leave an understated impression, contrary to the big impact produced by spouting fountains. In a very simple process, the water flows out of a spout, trickles down a beautifully textured wall only to be pumped back to the top.
Putting in a fountain with a theme depends completely on the style of your garden. A cherub holding a spout is one of the possible types of classical-styled statues you can use if you want your fountain to compliment a rustically themed cottage or garden. Something special and bold could be an option for more modern gardens. Feel free to let your hair down and go with something interesting and audacious.
The main trait of a multi-tiered fountain is that water streams from a variety of different levels. Water flowing down multiple tiers of this water feature is the primary characteristic of a cascading fountain.
A considerable amount of space is necessary for an outdoor fountain, so another option is to install a wall fountain or a pondless fountain. Install one of these fountains if your space is limited since their reservoirs are hidden from sight below ground.
Include a Japanese fountain if you are looking for a feeling of tranquility. Bamboo sticks act as the piping from which water flows in these kinds of water features. A rustic bucket or shaped stone is placed at the bottom of this feature to collect the flowing water only to have the cycle repeated over and over again.
Another type of fountain is made of glass. Trellis-style fountains of this kind, highlight molded metalwork which provides a more conventional look. Water features of this type are an excellent option for gardens with many sharp edges as well as contemporary forms and design. The flowing water produces a striking effect as it moves down the glass sheets. Colored LED lights are also included in some fountains to illuminate the water as it moves down the sheet of glass. A rock waterfall fountain (often made of imitation rock) shows off water softly flowing down its façade.
Bubbling rock fountains are large stones drilled with holes which are then filled with tubes in the middle. Low pressure is used to spout out the water which then bubbles and gurgles at the top. Downward flowing water appears as soft dribble as it moves down the sides of the rock to return to its base. This is yet another possibility for gardens with restricted space. This sort of fountain, which uses low pressure to move water, is perfect because it prevents water from being sprayed around in windy weather.
Solar fountains have recently gained in appeal because they are powered by the sun. There are numerous reasons for this newly found interest such as the absence of cables, less difficulty in running them, a decrease in electricity bills, and the advantages to the environment. You will not have to concede on style since there is a wide array of designs to choose from in outdoor solar-powered fountains.
Rome, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, And Garden Fountains
Rome, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, And Garden Fountains There are many famous water features in the city center of Rome.
Almost all of them were designed, architected and constructed by one of the greatest sculptors and designers of the 17th century, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Also a city designer, he had capabilities as a water feature developer, and traces of his life's work are obvious throughout the roads of Rome. Bernini's father, a renowned Florentine sculptor, mentored his young son, and they ultimately moved to Rome, in order to fully express their art, primarily in the form of public water fountains and water features. An diligent employee, the young Bernini received praise and the backing of many popes and important artists. At first he was celebrated for his sculpting skills. Most notably in the Vatican, he used a base of knowledge in classic Greek architecture and melded it effortlessly with Roman marble. Although many artists had an influence on his work, Michelangelo had the most profound effect.