Modern Garden Decoration: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Roots
Modern Garden Decoration: Large Outdoor Water Fountains and their Roots The amazing or ornamental effect of a fountain is just one of the purposes it fulfills, as well as supplying drinking water and adding a decorative touch to your property.The central purpose of a fountain was originally strictly functional. Cities, towns and villages made use of nearby aqueducts or springs to supply them with potable water as well as water where they could bathe or wash. Up to the late nineteenth century, water fountains had to be near an aqueduct or reservoir and more elevated than the fountain so that gravity could make the water move down or shoot high into the air. Serving as an element of decoration and celebration, fountains also generated clean, fresh drinking water. Roman fountains often depicted images of animals or heroes made of metal or stone masks. Muslims and Moorish landscaping designers of the Middle Ages included fountains to re-create smaller models of the gardens of paradise. Fountains played a significant role in the Gardens of Versailles, all part of French King Louis XIV’s desire to exercise his power over nature. To mark the entrance 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
Since indoor plumbing became the norm of the day for fresh, drinking water, by the end of the 19th century urban fountains were no longer needed for this purpose and they became purely decorative. The introduction of unique water effects and the recycling of water were 2 things made possible by swapping gravity with mechanical pumps.
Modern-day fountains serve mostly as decoration for open spaces, to honor individuals or events, and compliment entertainment and recreational activities.
The Defining Characteristics of Classic Greek Statues
The Defining Characteristics of Classic Greek Statues The first freestanding statuary was developed by the Archaic Greeks, a notable achievement since until then the sole carvings in existence were reliefs cut into walls and pillars. For the most part the statues, or kouros figures, were of young and nice-looking male or female (kore) Greeks. Considered by Greeks to embody splendour, the kouroi were structured into rigid, forward facing poses with one foot outstretched, and the male statues were usually nude, well-built, and athletic. The kouroi became life-sized beginning in 650 BC.