The Genesis Of Garden Fountains
The Genesis Of Garden Fountains
The incredible construction 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 complement your home. Originally, fountains only served a functional purpose. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to supply them with drinking water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. Used until the 19th century, in order for fountains to flow or shoot up into the air, their source of water such as reservoirs or aqueducts, had to be higher than the water fountain in order to benefit from gravity. Serving as an element of adornment and celebration, fountains also generated clean, fresh drinking water. 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 re-create the gardens of paradise. King Louis XIV of France wanted to illustrate his dominion over nature by including fountains in the Gardens of Versailles. To mark the entrance of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the construction of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts arrived in the city of Rome
The end of the nineteenth century saw the rise in usage of indoor plumbing to supply drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to strictly decorative elements. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity helped fountains to bring recycled water into living spaces as well as create unique water effects.
Contemporary fountains are used to adorn public spaces, honor individuals or events, and enhance recreational and entertainment events.
"Primitive" Greek Artistry: Outdoor Statuary
"Primitive" Greek Artistry: Outdoor Statuary Archaic Greeks were known for creating the first freestanding statuary; up until then, most carvings were formed out of walls and pillars as reliefs.
Kouros figures, statues of adolescent, handsome male or female (kore) Greeks, made up the greater part of the statues. Representing beauty to the Greeks, the kouroi were made to appear rigid and typically had foot in front; the males were healthy, sturdy, and naked. In about 650 BC, the varieties of the kouroi became life-sized. Throughout the Archaic period, a great time of change, the Greeks were developing new types of government, expressions of art, and a greater comprehension of people and cultures outside Greece. But in spite of the disputes, the Greek civilization went on to advance, unabated.