"Primitive" Greek Art: Large Statuary

The primitive Greeks developed the first freestanding statuary, an awesome achievement as most sculptures up until then had been reliefs cut into walls and pillars. Most of the freestanding statues were of young, winsome male or female (kore) Greeks and are known as kouros figures. Regarded as by Greeks to characterize skin care, the kouroi were formed into firm, forward facing positions with one foot outstretched, and the male statues were always nude, well-built, and athletic. Life-sized versions of the kouroi appeared beginning in 650 BC. The Archaic period was an amazing time of transformation for the Greeks as they extended into new modes of government, formed novel expressions of art, and achieved information of the people and cultures outside of Greece. But in spite of the issues, the Greek civilization went on to progress, unabated.

The Earliest Documented Outdoor Water Features of History

The Earliest Documented Outdoor Water Features of History The water from springs and other sources was originally provided to the inhabitants of nearby communities and cities through water fountains, whose design was mainly practical, not aesthetic. Earliest Documented Outdoor Water Features History 5280115182.jpg

Earliest Documented Outdoor Water Features History 5280115182.jpg

In the days before electrical power, the spray of fountains was powered by gravity only, often using an aqueduct or water source located far away in the surrounding mountains. The elegance and wonder of fountains make them appropriate for traditional monuments. If you saw the very first fountains, you wouldn't recognize them as fountains. Created for drinking water and ceremonial functions, the first fountains were very simple carved stone basins. 2,000 BC is when the earliest known stone fountain basins were originally used. The earliest civilizations that made use of fountains depended on gravity to force water through spigots. These ancient water fountains were created to be functional, frequently situated along reservoirs, streams and waterways to supply drinking water. Wildlife, Gods, and religious figures dominated the early decorative Roman fountains, beginning to appear in about 6 BC. Water for the open fountains of Rome was brought to the city via a complex system of water aqueducts.

When and Where Did Water Fountains Emerge?

When and Where Did Water Fountains Emerge? Pope Nicholas V, himself a well educated man, reigned the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 to 1455 during which time he commissioned many translations of old classical Greek documents into Latin. In order to make Rome deserving of being the capital of the Christian world, the Pope decided to embellish the beauty of the city. In 1453 the Pope commissioned the reconstruction of the Aqua Vergine, an ancient Roman aqueduct which had carried clean drinking water into the city from eight miles away. The ancient Roman tradition of building an awe-inspiring commemorative fountain at the location where an aqueduct arrived, also known as a mostra, was resurrected by Nicholas V. The Trevi Fountain now occupies the space formerly filled with a wall fountain built by Leon Battista Albert, an architect employed by the Pope. The Trevi Fountain as well as the well-known baroque fountains found in the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza Navona were eventually supplied with water from the altered aqueduct he had rebuilt.

Discover Serenity with Outdoor Fountains

Discover Serenity with Outdoor Fountains Your mood is positively influenced by having water in your yard. The sounds of a fountain are great to drown out the noise in your neighborhood or in the city where you live. The outdoors and amusement are two of the things you will find in your garden. Considered a great healing element, many water therapies use big bodies of water such as seas, oceans and rivers in their treatments. If what you seek is a calming place where you can take your body and your mind to a faraway place, put in a pond or fountain in your garden.