"Primitive" Greek Art: Garden Statuary
"Primitive" Greek Art: Garden Statuary The first freestanding statuary was designed by the Archaic Greeks, a distinguished achievement since until then the sole carvings in existence were reliefs cut into walls and pillars. Youthful, appealing male or female (kore) Greeks were the subject matter of most of the sculptures, or kouros figures. Thought of by Greeks to embody splendour, the kouroi were shaped into firm, forward facing poses with one foot outstretched, and the male statues were usually nude, well-developed, and fit. In about 650 BC, the varieties of the kouroi became life-sized. A massive age of modification for the Greeks, the Archaic period brought about new forms of state, expressions of artwork, and a greater appreciation of people and customs outside of Greece. Comparable to many other periods of historical conflict, arguments were commonplace, and there were struggles between city-states like The Arcadian wars, the Spartan invasion of Samos.
Contemporary Statuary in Early Greece
Contemporary Statuary in Early Greece Nearly all sculptors were paid by the temples to accentuate the elaborate columns and archways with renderings of the gods up until the stage came to a close and countless Greeks started to think of their religion as superstitious rather than sacred, when it became more common for sculptors to portray everyday men and women as well. Portraiture started to be commonplace as well, and would be accepted by the Romans when they defeated the Greeks, and quite often affluent families would order a depiction of their progenitors to be placed inside their grand familial burial tombs. The usage of sculpture and other art forms differed over the years of The Greek Classical period, a duration of artistic growth when the arts had more than one goal.
Greek sculpture is possibly appealing to us all at present seeing that it was an avant-garde experiment in the historic world, so it does not matter whether or not its original purpose was religious zeal or artistic enjoyment.
Contemporary Garden Decor: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Beginnings
Contemporary Garden Decor: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Beginnings A water fountain is an architectural piece that pours water into a basin or jets it high into the air in order to supply drinkable water, as well as for decorative purposes.Pure functionality was the original purpose of fountains. 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. Until the late 19th, century most water fountains functioned using the force of gravity to allow water to flow or jet into the air, therefore, they needed a supply of water such as a reservoir or aqueduct located higher than the fountain. Serving as an element of adornment and celebration, fountains also provided clean, fresh drinking water. Roman fountains often 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 superiority over nature by including fountains in the Gardens of Versailles. The Romans of the 17th and 18th centuries manufactured baroque decorative fountains to exalt the Popes who commissioned them as well as to mark the location where the restored Roman aqueducts entered the city.
The end of the 19th century saw the increase in usage of indoor plumbing to provide drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to strictly decorative elements. Fountains using mechanical pumps instead of gravity enabled fountains to provide recycled water into living spaces as well as create special water effects.
Modern-day fountains function mostly as decoration for open spaces, to honor individuals or events, and compliment entertainment and recreational activities.