The Art of Fine Art Lighting
Every fine art collector feels they’ve got a Rembrandt or Van Gogh on their hands. Remember how you felt when you purchased your masterpiece or painted it? It was exhilarating, wasn’t it? But many collectors are disappointed by the quality of the display once they hang a painting on the wall. Proper illumination of your new favorite piece is an art in itself.
LED Takes Fine Art Lighting to the Next Level
As fine a masterpiece any painting is, it rarely stands out on its own. Your showpiece may have looked like the next ‘Starry Night’ at the gallery, but to maintain such an exquisite display, great lighting plays a part. Museums and art houses nearly always display their pieces with an artfully designed lighting solution.
These days, most serious collectors agree that LED lights are the most effective and safe bulbs for delicate fine art. LED yields high-performance and efficient illumination. They’re also so much safer for your art than fluorescent, natural sunlight, and incandescent lights, which can cause artwork to fade over time or simply don’t render color well.
LED lights don’t produce infrared radiation or UV as much as other types of lights do. So your artwork will remain in its original condition for much longer without deteriorating or getting discolored.
LED lights add sophistication and drama to art. All in all, It’s really hard to beat LED lighting to illuminate your prized art collection. It renders colors precisely and efficiently while safely displaying your art.
Casting Your Artwork in its Best Light
Once your artwork is displayed and illuminated, you want it to evoke certain emotions in its admirer. The ambiance created by the display should be one that was inspired by the artwork itself. It could elicit a feeling of nostalgia, peace, passion, warmth, or just about anything. But, the point is that lighting shouldn’t change what the artwork conveys, but rather enhance it.
When you use the best techniques and fixtures to light your artwork, your art comes to life and looks its best. You’ll look for opportunities to show off your art. The possibilities of dramatic and effective LED lighting will keep you excited about your new acquisition for years to come.
There are so many things to think about when adding illumination to your art pieces. The size and placement of your framed artwork make a difference. A larger piece of art requires different considerations than smaller works of art. You may need multiple fixtures for large artwork to offer balanced illumination over the entire piece. Otherwise, some areas would be too dark while others would be too bright.
A fine art lighting specialist will also consider the angle at which to place any lighting. A 30-degree angle, for example, will often reduce glare, while offering enough light for your artwork. But, your designer may decide to add a few degrees to reduce shadows.
On the other hand, certain textures, like an oil painting, need to be highlighted. So a lighting designer may subtract a few degrees. An oil painting is also usually best lit with a light that covers the entire painting rather than a direct light that encourages highlights or shadows. The broader light will evenly illuminate the painting better.
The Takeaway
Lighting a fine art collection is an art in and of itself. As such, a lighting artist is the best person for the job. It can make the difference between a lackluster art display and one that looks like a gallery or museum exhibit. You’ll want to install the most effective lighting, and also employ quality LED lighting to preserve your investment.
Contact Illuminations Lighting Design for your fine art lighting project. We work with a number of talented art lighting consultants who excel at what they do. Together, with our electrical expertise and our lighting know-how, we’ll provide a beautiful fine art display that’s properly and beautifully illuminated. You’ll cherish your art collection and preserve it for future generations.
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