"Primitive" Greek Artistry: Large Statuary

Archaic Greeks were renowned for creating the first freestanding statuary; up till then, most carvings were made out of walls and pillars as reliefs. Most of these freestanding sculptures were what is known as kouros figures, statues of young, attractive male or female (kore) Greeks. The kouroi were believed by the Greeks to represent beauty and were sculpted with one foot leading and an uncompromising firmness to their forward-facing poses; the male statues were always strapping, brawny, and undressing. The kouroi started to be life-sized starting in 650 BC. Throughout the Archaic period, a big time of changes, the Greeks were evolving new forms of government, expressions of art, and a greater comprehension of people and cultures outside Greece. During this time and other times of historical tumultuousness, encounters often occurred, among them wars fought between city-states such as the Arcadian wars and the Spartan infiltration of Samos.

The Impact of the Norman Conquest on Anglo-Saxon Landscaping

The Impact of the Norman Conquest on Anglo-Saxon Landscaping Impact Norman Conquest Anglo-Saxon Landscaping 4316490667344523.jpg

The arrival of the Normans in the 2nd half of the eleventh century irreparably altered The Anglo-Saxon lifestyle. Architecture and horticulture were abilities that the Normans excelled in, trumping that of the Anglo-Saxons at the time of the occupation. But nevertheless home life, household architecture, and decoration were out of the question until the Normans taken over the rest of the populace. Monasteries and castles served separate purposes, so while monasteries were enormous stone structures constructed in only the most fruitful, wide dales, castles were set upon blustery knolls where the people focused on learning offensive and defensive techniques. Relaxing pursuits such as gardening were out of place in these desolate citadels. Berkeley Castle, potentially the most unspoiled model of the early Anglo-Norman style of architecture, still exists in the present day. The keep is reported to have been conceived during the time of William the Conqueror. An enormous terrace encompasses the building, serving as an obstruction to assailants wanting to excavate under the castle walls. A scenic bowling green, enveloped in grass and bordered by battlements cut out of an ancient yew hedge, creates one of the terraces.

The Original Garden Fountain Manufacturers

Original Garden Fountain Manufacturers 23282099688385782348.jpg

Fountain designers were multi-talented people from the 16th to the late 18th century, often working as architects, sculptors, artisans, engineers and highly educated scholars all in one. Leonardo da Vinci, a Renaissance artist, was celebrated as a ingenious master, inventor and scientific virtuoso. The forces of nature led him to examine the qualities and movement of water, and due to his curiosity, he methodically recorded his experiences in his now famed notebooks. Converting private villa configurations into imaginative water exhibits complete with symbolic interpretation and natural wonder, early Italian fountain engineers fused curiosity with hydraulic and horticultural abilities. Known for his incredible skill in archeology, design and garden design, Pirro Ligorio, the humanist, provided the vision behind the splendors in Tivoli. Other water feature engineers, masterminding the phenomenal water marbles, water functions and water humor for the various properties near Florence, were tried and tested in humanistic themes and classical scientific texts.

The First Contemporary Outdoor Wall Fountains

The First Contemporary Outdoor Wall Fountains Hundreds of ancient Greek texts were translated into Latin under the auspices of the scholarly Pope Nicholas V, who led the Roman Catholic Church from 1397 to 1455. He undertook the beautification of Rome to turn it into the model capital of the Christian world. At the behest of the Pope, the Aqua Vergine, a damaged aqueduct which had transported clean drinking water into Rome from eight miles away, was restored starting in 1453. Building a mostra, an imposing commemorative fountain built by ancient Romans to memorialize the entry point of an aqueduct, was a tradition revived by Nicholas V. First Contemporary Outdoor Wall Fountains 90184056846610.jpg

First Contemporary Outdoor Wall Fountains 90184056846610.jpg

The architect Leon Battista Alberti was commissioned by the Pope to build a wall fountain where we now find the Trevi Fountain. The aqueduct he had reconditioned included modifications and extensions which eventually enabled it to supply water to the Trevi Fountain as well as the famed baroque fountains in the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza Navona.

Hydro-Statics & Public Fountains: The Fundamentals

Hydro-Statics & Public Fountains: The Fundamentals When in equilibrium, liquid applies force to its container or any other material it comes in contact with.

Hydro-Statics & Public Fountains: Fundamentals 145410297073.jpg

There are two types of force, hydrostatic energies and external forces. When pressing against a level wall, the fluid applies equal force at various points on the wall. Liquid in equilibrium will employ vertical pressure at every point of an object’s exterior when that object is fully immersed in the liquid. These vertical forces are buoyancy, and the concept by itself is more fully described by Archimedes’principle. Liquid acted on by hydrostatic force is then subject to hydrostatic pressure at the point of contact. These principles are applied to the containers used by plumbing, wells, and fountains.