| Paintings are common in fine homes as well as | | | | |
| office space. This is not surprising when we | | | | To date, the best source of this type is a |
| consider that painting has been with in one | | | | halogen bulb. These bulbs produce an intense, |
| form or fashion for at least 40,000 years. | | | | white light that renders color at levels near |
| Light in paintings themselves determines the | | | | that of sunlight. Halogen bulbs are found in |
| tone of the work by creating the illusion of | | | | recessed ceiling fixtures that shine light |
| three dimensional spaces with the interplay | | | | down on artwork. They are also housed inside |
| of light and shadows. Lighting for paintings | | | | modern art lighting projectors, which also |
| should not cast shadows, however, but rather | | | | install in the ceiling. |
| must discover and magnify the luminosity of | | | | |
| the scene and animate the action between | | | | When used in lighting paintings, recessed |
| objects and characters. This method of | | | | lights have to be filtered. All art lighting |
| lighting paintings is as old as Lascaux, | | | | projectors, because they are intended only |
| where firelight was used to make the | | | | for art lighting, are manufactured with |
| seemingly crude stick figures of hunters and | | | | filters in them. |
| animals suddenly spring to life with the | | | | |
| illusion of three dimensional substance and | | | | Lighting for paintings must be adjustable and |
| physical movement. | | | | dimmable. |
| | | | |
| To create this sense of vivid life and | | | | Paintings must be lit from the correct angle |
| realism, art lighting for paintings must be | | | | of incidence to avoid spill light shining |
| sourced from special types of fixtures and | | | | past the boundaries of the frame and to avoid |
| controlled in such a manner that enhances the | | | | glare than can reflect off the canvas back |
| work without damaging the piece or limiting | | | | into the eye. Picture lights are difficult to |
| the aesthetic. | | | | adjust like this and are generally not |
| | | | recommended for home or office decoration. |
| Only filtered light can be used for safely | | | | Also, they can burn very hot at times and are |
| lighting paintings. | | | | extremely difficult to filter, making them |
| | | | unsafe as well. |
| Oils and canvases are sensitive materials and | | | | |
| will deteriorate if exposed to UV light. | | | | Recessed lighting and projector lighting are |
| Infrared light, is not as damaging as | | | | much better sources to use because they allow |
| ultraviolet light, but it nonetheless | | | | the decorator to change the direction of the |
| produces large quantities of heat that will | | | | light at will. Some recessed fixtures can be |
| dry out paint and crack the canvas. Because | | | | adjusted in this manner more easily than |
| sunlight contains both UV and IR radiation, | | | | others, so it is important to make certain |
| it must never be used to light paintings, | | | | before purchasing them if the models being |
| because it will quickly destroy them in a | | | | ordered were made specifically for lighting |
| short period of time. Sunlight is also way | | | | paintings. |
| too intense to light a painting because it | | | | |
| overpowers the combination of shadows and | | | | Projectors offer even more adjustability |
| light in the painting and flattens the | | | | because they hang suspended from the ceiling |
| perspective of the image. | | | | and can be positioned anywhere along a |
| | | | three-dimensional access. Some projectors are |
| It is therefore necessary to use a filtered | | | | easier to adjust than others. It is best to |
| artificial lighting source that strips the | | | | talk to an picture lighting specialist here |
| light beam of IR and UV radiation. | | | | at ILD to find the model best suited to a |
| | | | particular home, office, or museum |
| Use a light source with a high color | | | | application. |
| rendering index (CRI). | | | | |
| | | | Call a professional firm to have your art |
| While artificial light is much safer than | | | | lights installed. |
| sunlight to use as lighting for paintings, | | | | |
| sunlight's ability to render color is | | | | Lighting simple prints or photographs is |
| unmatched because sunlight is a perfect blend | | | | something most people can do with retail |
| of all natural colors of the spectrum. | | | | picture lights. Lighting a painting as art is |
| Nevertheless, it is simply out of the | | | | something completely different. It takes |
| question as a light source for residental art | | | | commercial grade equipment that can only be |
| design, so we have to find an artificial, | | | | obtained by a design firm from the |
| close approximation to sunlight to | | | | manufacture. It also takes knowledge of art |
| effectively illuminate art without damaging | | | | and design to truly create a masterpiece of |
| its integrity or quality in the process. | | | | lighting. |