Bernini: The Master of Italy's Greatest Water Fountains
Bernini: The Master of Italy's Greatest Water Fountains The Barcaccia, Bernini's first water fountain, is a striking chef d'oeuvre built at the foot of the Trinita dei Monti in Piaza di Spagna.
This spot is still filled with Roman locals and visitors who enjoy exchanging gossip or going over the day's news. Bernini would without a doubt have been happy to know that people still flock to what has become one the city's most fashionable areas, that surrounding his amazing fountain. Dating back to around 1630, Pope Urbano VIII commissioned what was to be the very first water fountain of the artist's career. An enormous ship slowly sinking into the Mediterranean is the fountain's main theme. The great 16th century flooding of the Tevere, which left the entire region inundated with water, was memorialized by the fountain according to writings from the time. In what became his only prolonged absence from Italy, Bernini {journeyed | traveled] to France in 1665.
Aspects of Outdoor Statues in Archaic Greece
Aspects of Outdoor Statues in Archaic Greece The Archaic Greeks built the first freestanding statuary, an amazing achievement as most sculptures up until then had been reliefs cut into walls and pillars. Most of the freestanding statues were of youthful, winsome male or female (kore) Greeks and are termed kouros figures. The kouroi, regarded by the Greeks to portray beauty, had one foot stretched out of a strict forward-facing pose and the male statues were always unclothed, with a strong, sturdy shape. The kouroi started to be life-sized starting in 650 BC. The Archaic period was an incredible point of transformation for the Greeks as they extended into new forms of government, formed novel expressions of art, and attained knowledge of the men and women and cultures outside of Greece. Equivalent to many other moments of historical unrest, arguments were common, and there were battles between city-states like The Arcadian wars, the Spartan invasion of Samos.
Use a Fountain To Help Improve Air Quality
Use a Fountain To Help Improve Air Quality You can liven up your environment by setting up an indoor wall fountain. Your senses and your health can benefit from the installation of one of these indoor features. The science behind the idea that water fountains can be good for you is unquestionable. The negative ions generated by water features are countered by the positive ions released by present-day conveniences. Indisputable favorable changes in mental and physical health emerge when negative ions overpower positive ions.
A rise in serotonin levels is felt by those who have one of these water features making them more alert, serene and lively. Indoor wall fountains {generate negative ions which serve to elevate your mood and remove air pollutants. In order to rid yourself of allergies, impurities in the air and other aggravations, ensure you install one of these. Finally, these fountains absorb dust particles and micro-organisms in the air thereby influencing your general well-being for the better.
The Earliest Public Water Fountains
The Earliest Public Water Fountains As originally developed, water fountains were designed to be practical, directing water from streams or aqueducts to the inhabitants of towns and villages, where the water could be used for cooking food, washing, and drinking.
To generate water flow through a fountain until the late 1800’s, and produce a jet of water, mandated gravity and a water source such as a spring or reservoir, located higher than the fountain. The beauty and spectacle of fountains make them appropriate for historic memorials. Simple in design, the 1st water fountains did not look much like contemporary fountains. A stone basin, carved from rock, was the very first fountain, used for holding water for drinking and ceremonial functions. Rock basins as fountains have been discovered from 2000 B.C.. Gravity was the power source that operated the oldest water fountains. These ancient fountains were built to be functional, usually situated along aqueducts, creeks and waterways to provide drinking water. Fountains with embellished Gods, mythological beasts, and creatures began to show up in Rome in about 6 BC, made from rock and bronze. The City of Rome had an intricate system of aqueducts that provided the water for the many fountains that were placed throughout the urban center.