Bernini: The Genius Behind Italy's Greatest Water Fountains

Bernini: The Genius Behind Italy's Greatest Water Fountains The Barcaccia, Bernini's first fountain, is a striking chef d'oeuvre built at the base of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna. To this day, this spot is filled with Roman locals and travelers alike who enjoy conversation and each other's company. One of the city’s most fashionable gathering spots are the streets surrounding Bernini's fountain, which would undoubtedly have brought a smile to the great Bernini. In around 1630, Pope Urbano VIII helped Bernini launch his career with the construction of his first water fountain. Depicted in the fountain's design is a great vessel gradually sinking into the Mediterranean Sea. Period writings dating back to the 16th century indicate that the fountain was built as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the great flooding of the Tevere. In 1665, France was graced by Bernini's only extended journey outside of Italy.

The Father Of Roman Public Fountain Design

The Father Of Roman Public Fountain Design There are many famed Roman fountains in its city center. Father Roman Public Fountain Design 913870711724.jpg

Father Roman Public Fountain Design 913870711724.jpg

One of the finest sculptors and artists of the 17th century, nearly all of them were designed, conceptualized and built by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. His skills as a water feature designer and also as a city architect, are visible all through the streets of Rome. A renowned Florentine sculptor, Bernini's father mentored his young son, and they ultimately went to Rome to totally exhibit their art, primarily in the form of public water features and water fountains. The young Bernini earned encouragement from Popes and relevant artists alike, and was an excellent worker. At the start he was known for his sculptural abilities. Most famously in the Vatican, he used a base of expertise in classic Greek architecture and melded it flawlessly with Roman marble. Although many artists had an impact on his work, Michelangelo had the most profound effect.

The Original Water Feature Creative Designers

The Original Water Feature Creative Designers Fountain designers were multi-talented individuals from the 16th to the later part of the 18th century, often working as architects, sculptors, artists, engineers and cultivated scholars all in one person. During the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci exemplified the artist as a creative master, creator and scientific virtuoso. He carefully reported his findings in his now much celebrated notebooks about his research into the forces of nature and the qualities and motion of water. Early Italian water feature builders altered private villa configurations into inventive water exhibits complete of emblematic meaning and natural elegance by combining creativity with hydraulic and horticultural talent. The humanist Pirro Ligorio, celebrated for his virtuosity in archeology, architecture and garden design, provided the vision behind the wonders in Tivoli. Other water fountain engineers, masterminding the extraordinary water marbles, water features and water humor for the countless domains near Florence, were tried and tested in humanistic subject areas and classical scientific texts.