Where did Fountains Come From?

Where did Fountains Come From? A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to supply drinking water, as well as for decorative purposes.

The central purpose of a fountain was originally strictly functional. People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, from aqueducts or springs in the vicinity. Up to the late 19th century, water fountains had to be near an aqueduct or reservoir and more elevated than the fountain so that gravity could make the water flow down or shoot high into the air. Designers thought of fountains as amazing additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to provide clean water and celebrate the artist responsible for building it. Fountains Come From? 28039318555295539.jpg Roman fountains usually depicted imagery of animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks. To replicate the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages added fountains to their designs. King Louis XIV of France wanted to demonstrate his dominion over nature by including fountains in the Gardens of Versailles. The Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries were glorified with baroque style fountains constructed to mark the place of entry of Roman aqueducts.

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. The creation of special water effects and the recycling of water were 2 things made possible by swapping gravity with mechanical pumps.

Embellishing city parks, honoring people or events and entertaining, are some of the uses of modern-day fountains.

Attributes of Outdoor Statues in Archaic Greece

Attributes of Outdoor Statues in Archaic Greece The primitive Greeks built the 1st freestanding statuary, an amazing achievement as most sculptures up until then had been reliefs cut into walls and pillars. Most of these freestanding sculptures were what is known as kouros figures, statues of young, attractive male or female (kore) Greeks. The kouroi, viewed as by the Greeks to represent beauty, had one foot stretched out of a rigid forward-facing pose and the male figurines were always nude, with a compelling, powerful build. In 650 BC, life-size versions of the kouroi began to be observed. The Archaic period was an amazing time of transformation for the Greeks as they extended into new modes of government, formed fresh expressions of art, and gained knowledge of the men and women and cultures outside of Greece. Throughout this time and other periods of historic tumultuousness, encounters often took place, among them battles fought between city-states such as the Arcadian wars and the Spartan invasion of Samos.