The Genesis Of Garden Fountains
The Genesis Of Garden 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 a noteworthy effect.From the onset, outdoor fountains were soley meant to serve as functional elements. Water fountains were connected to a spring or aqueduct to provide potable water as well as bathing water for cities, townships and villages. Used until the 19th century, in order for fountains to flow or shoot up into the air, their source of water such as reservoirs or aqueducts, had to be higher than the water fountain in order to benefit from gravity. Serving as an element of decoration and celebration, fountains also provided clean, fresh drinking water. Bronze or stone masks of animals and heroes were commonly seen on Roman fountains. To replicate the gardens of paradise, Muslim and Moorish garden planners of the Middle Ages added fountains to their designs.
The fountains seen in the Gardens of Versailles were meant to show the power over nature held by King Louis XIV of France. To mark the entrance of the restored Roman aqueducts, the Popes of the 17th and 18th centuries commissioned the building of baroque style fountains in the spot where the aqueducts arrived in the city of Rome
The end of the nineteenth century saw the rise in usage of indoor plumbing to provide drinking water, so urban fountains were relegated to strictly decorative elements. Impressive water effects and recycled water were made possible by replacing the force of gravity with mechanical pumps.
Modern-day fountains serve mostly as decoration for open spaces, to honor individuals or events, and enhance entertainment and recreational activities.
The Beginnings of Modern Wall Fountains
The Beginnings of Modern Wall Fountains The translation of hundreds of classical Greek documents into Latin was commissioned by the scholarly Pope Nicholas V who ruled the Church in Rome from 1397 till 1455.
He undertook the embellishment of Rome to make it into the model seat of the Christian world. Starting in 1453, the ruined ancient Roman aqueduct known as the Aqua Vergine which had brought fresh drinking water into the city from eight miles away, underwent repair at the bidding of the Pope. The ancient Roman custom of marking the entry point of an aqueduct with an magnificent celebratory fountain, also known as a mostra, was restored by Nicholas V. The Trevi Fountain now occupies the area previously filled with a wall fountain crafted by Leon Battista Albert, an architect employed by the Pope. The Trevi Fountain as well as the renowned baroque fountains located in the Piazza del Popolo and the Piazza Navona were eventually supplied with water from the altered aqueduct he had rebuilt.
"Primitive" Greek Art: Outdoor Statuary
"Primitive" Greek Art: Outdoor Statuary The primitive Greeks developed the very first freestanding statuary, an impressive achievement as most sculptures up until then had been reliefs cut into walls and pillars. For the most part the statues, or kouros figures, were of adolescent and nice-looking male or female (kore) Greeks. The kouroi were considered by the Greeks to embody beauty and were sculpted with one foot leading and an uncompromising firmness to their forward-facing poses; the male statues were always strapping, sinewy, and undressing. The kouroi grew to be life-sized beginning in 650 BC. A substantial age of modification for the Greeks, the Archaic period introduced about more forms of state, expressions of artwork, and a higher comprehension of people and customs outside of Greece. The Arcadian battles, the Spartan penetration of Samos, and other wars between city-states are good examples of the sorts of conflicts that occurred frequently, which is consistent with other times of historical transformation.Water-lifting Tool by Camillo Agrippa
Water-lifting Tool by Camillo Agrippa In 1588, Agrippa’s water-lifting invention attracted the attention and admiration of Andrea Bacci but that turned out to be one of the very last references of the technology. It may possibly be that the Acqua Felice, the second of Rome’s early modern channels made the device outdated when it was attached to the Villa Medici in 1592. The simpler account is that it was disregarded about when Ferdinando left for Florence in 1588, following the death of his brother Francesco di Medici, to trade his rank as cardinal for one as the Grand Duke of Tuscany. #P# There might have been some other spectacular water-related works in Renaissance landscapes in the late sixteenth century, like water fountains which played music, water caprices (or giochi d’acqua) and even scenographic water exhibits, but none were motorized by water which defied the force of gravity.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Garden Fountains
Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Garden Fountains There are any number of celebrated Roman water features in its city center. One of the best ever sculptors and artists of the 17th century, almost all of them were designed, conceptualized and constructed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Also a city builder, he had capabilities as a water feature designer, and traces of his life's work are noticeable throughout the avenues of Rome. Bernini's father, a renowned Florentine sculptor, mentored his young son, and they ultimately moved to Rome, in order to fully express their art, primarily in the form of public water fountains and water features. The young Bernini received compliments from Popes and influential artists alike, and was an diligent worker. Initially he was renowned for his sculpting skills. Working gracefully with Roman marble, he used a base of expertise in the ancient Greek architecture, most especially in the Vatican. He was affected by many a great artists, however, Michelangelo had the biggest effect on his work.
The Impact of the Norman Conquest on Anglo Saxon Landscaping
The Impact of the Norman Conquest on Anglo Saxon Landscaping The Anglo-Saxon way of life was dramatically changed by the introduction of the Normans in the later eleventh century. At the time of the conquest, the Normans surpassed the Anglo-Saxons in building design and cultivation. But nevertheless home life, household architecture, and decoration were out of the question until the Normans taken over the entire populace. Castles were more basic constructions and often erected on blustery hills, where their people devoted both time and space to practicing offense and defense, while monasteries were large stone buildings, mostly situated in the widest, most fertile hollows. Gardening, a quiet occupation, was unfeasible in these unproductive fortifications.
Berkeley Castle is possibly the most intact model in existence today of the early Anglo-Norman style of architecture. It is said that the keep was created during William the Conqueror's time. A big terrace intended for walking and as a way to stop attackers from mining under the walls runs about the building. A scenic bowling green, enveloped in grass and enclosed by battlements cut out of an ancient yew hedge, creates one of the terraces.