BALANCE: The window that is painted on. I do not know exactly when that was painted on there but I am going to use it anyways. Despite the fact that it was not there originally, the window was added for the uniformity of the complete fountain. That and the proportion and order of the different sculptures of the god-like figures make the fountain very balanced.
ORDER: There is symmetry in the order of the fountain’s statues. The arrangement of the sculptures could be considered in the balance category but I think that because there is also the component of the whole fountain that is not representative of a river god this belongs in the order category. There is a mixture of the natural rock sculpture, or rocks that appear to be natural and that of the sculpted figures. They are ordered in an aesthetically pleasing manner so that the viewer is under the impression that the figures are mixed in with nature. I think it also gives the statue a bit of a naturalistic allusion. The juxtaposition of the hard stone and the water works in the way that it has the flow of the water against the jagged edges of the stone. It looks like it could actually appear in nature instead of at the hands of the designer.
PROPORTION: It is proportional because of its equal amounts of sculpture on each side. There is the largest and most eye-catching figure in the center of the fountain. He is placed at the back of the fountain in a domed area that is flanked by two other statues of women. Below them in the actual fountain part are two statues on either side of the largest man. On each side there is a horse and a god-like figure controlling the horse. Then the stones cascade like a waterfall into the fountain. Neither of these figures are equal but because of the subject matter and the general location it appears to be proportional. If you folded the fountain in half it would not be symmetrical but it also wouldn’t have any outliers.
PRECISION: The precision is in the detail. The muscles of the gods are well defined and it is very idealized. There was also the consideration of how the piece would look with water filling it up and the precise way that the water should fall once the sculpture was hooked up to an aqueduct. There is a lot of consideration to go into a fountain of that size. The designer also had to consider the building behind the fountain and what would be the best way to incorporate the two. I think that the juxtaposition of smooth marble and jagged cut marble is also a precision issue. Without that detail it could get very confusing and loose its naturalistic feel.
CONTROL: I may be stretching this point but I think the control in this piece is the ability for it to be so massive yet it is contained. The water does not spray outside of the intended location. It is contained while being expressive at the same time. The bucking horses and the jagged stone give the fountain the appearance of being like water, free flowing and gushing while in reality it is not. It is
CLARITY OF COMMUNICATION & MEANING: I don’t think that it is excessively difficult to find the meaning of this piece. I don’t know who the gods are in this, or if they are even gods to begin with. But what I receive from this piece is power. It is not a sculpture of a weakling. Whoever is in the center of that fountain is in control. He has the ability to master the flowing waters. Even the smaller people have the control over the horses that are near them. Even though this piece is over 500 years old it still has that awing affect.
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