The Major Characteristics of Ancient Greek Statues
The Major Characteristics of Ancient Greek Statues The Archaic Greeks built the first freestanding statuary, an impressive 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. Representing beauty to the Greeks, the kouroi were created to look rigid and commonly had foot forward; the males were healthy, robust, and nude. The kouroi started to be life-sized starting in 650 BC. A massive age of improvement for the Greeks, the Archaic period brought about more forms of state, expressions of art, and a higher comprehension of people and cultures outside of Greece. Similar to many other times of historical conflict, disputes were commonplace, and there were battles between city-states like The Arcadian wars, the Spartan invasion of Samos.
The Genesis Of Wall Fountains
The Genesis Of Wall Fountains A fountain, an amazing piece of engineering, not only supplies drinking water as it pours into a basin, it can also propel water high into the air for an extraordinary effect.The main purpose of a fountain was originally strictly functional. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to supply them with potable water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. Up until the 19th century, fountains had to be more elevated and closer to a water source, such as aqueducts and reservoirs, in order to benefit from gravity which fed the fountains. Designers thought of fountains as amazing additions to a living space, however, the fountains also served to provide clean water and honor the designer responsible for creating it. Animals or heroes made of bronze or stone masks were often times used by Romans to beautify their fountains. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden planners incorporated fountains to create mini depictions of the gardens of paradise. To show his prominence over nature, French King Louis XIV included fountains in the Garden of Versailles.
The Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries were glorified with baroque style fountains made to mark the place of entry of Roman aqueducts.
Urban fountains built at the end of the nineteenth served only as decorative and celebratory ornaments since indoor plumbing provided the necessary drinking water. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity enabled fountains to deliver recycled water into living spaces as well as create unique water effects.
Decorating city parks, honoring people or events and entertaining, are some of the uses of modern-day fountains.