"Primitive" Greek Artistry: Garden Statuary
"Primitive" Greek Artistry: Garden Statuary The primitive Greeks manufactured the very first freestanding statuary, an impressive 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 known as kouros figures.
Thought of by Greeks to characterize skin care, the kouroi were shaped into inflexible, forward facing positions with one foot outstretched, and the male statues were always nude, muscular, and athletic. In around 650 BC, the variations of the kouroi became life-sized. During the Archaic time, a great time of change, the Greeks were evolving new sorts of government, expressions of art, and a better comprehension of people and cultures outside Greece. Nonetheless, the Greek civilization was not slowed down by these challenges.
Where did Landscape Fountains Begin?
Where did Landscape Fountains Begin? A fountain, an amazing piece of engineering, not only supplies drinking water as it pours into a basin, it can also launch water high into the air for an extraordinary effect. From the beginning, outdoor fountains were simply meant to serve as functional elements. People in cities, towns and villages received their drinking water, as well as water to bathe and wash, from aqueducts or springs in the area. Up to the late nineteenth century, water fountains had to be near an aqueduct or reservoir and higher than the fountain so that gravity could make the water move downwards or shoot high into the air. Fountains were an excellent source of water, and also served to adorn living areas and memorialize the designer. The main components used by the Romans to create their fountains were bronze or stone masks, mostly illustrating animals or heroes. During the Middle Ages, Muslim and Moorish garden designers included fountains in their designs to mimic 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 entryway 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
Urban fountains created at the end of the 19th century served only as decorative and celebratory ornaments since indoor plumbing provided the essential drinking water. Gravity was substituted by mechanical pumps in order to enable fountains to bring in clean water and allow for amazing water displays.
These days, fountains decorate public areas and are used to recognize individuals or events and fill recreational and entertainment needs.