Art Lighting Techniques to Showcase Your Home Collection
The right lighting has the power to enhance the works of art you display in your home, making them stand out and showcasing their best features. The wrong lighting choices, however, can lead to unsightly shadows, distorted colors, or even damage to your pieces. In this article, we will explore how to ensure that different kinds of artwork are shown in the best light for years to come.
What Is the Best Lighting for Art, and Why Is It Important?
Consider the room that you’re lighting, as well as the art pieces that will be displayed there. The art will probably be a feature in the room, so start with the style of art itself, and think about how best to enhance the visual impact of pieces by bringing out colors, textures, and details. If the art is more traditional, then you will likely want to select fixtures that have a more timeless and classic look, whether it be overhead lights, track lights, or spotlights. If the art is more modern in style, then a sleek and understated fixture might be your best bet.
As a general rule, you want the light shining on your artwork to be three times brighter than the rest of the room. To strike the perfect balance, you may want to install dimmer switches on the lights that you use to feature artwork, giving the overall effect that you’re looking for. If you want more of a gallery or museum feel, where the art itself is the focus, then opt for brighter light. If you want the art to be an accent in the overall effect of the room, such as is often the case in hotels and restaurants, then a dimmer light is a good option.
When you are installing your lighting, experiment with light and shadow until you create the look that you want and that ideally coordinates with each piece.
What Is the Best Lighting for Art, and Why Is It Important?
Whether you are lighting a painting, photograph, or sculpture, direct sunlight can bring harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays that can cause fading or discoloration. While it is perfectly appropriate to have natural light coming in through windows or skylights to contribute to the overall ambient light in the space, you generally want to avoid direct sunlight when it comes to preserving your artwork.
Types of Art Lighting Fixtures
Ceiling Mounted Fixtures
Flush mount ceiling lights, placed correctly, can spotlight a work of art and draw attention to it as soon as someone walks into the room without drawing excessive attention to the fixture itself. When placing the fixture, be sure that the center of the beam is aligned with the center of the piece you are showcasing. Note that many flush mount fixtures allow you to adjust the angle of light that they produce, so you can direct the beam where you want it to be.
Recessed lighting, also known as can lights, can be installed into the ceiling itself, providing an even cleaner look than a flush-mount fixture. And because many of these lights come on an axis, they can be positioned to illuminate a work of art perfectly.
Track Lighting
Track lighting systems are one of the favorite choices of galleries, as they can be directed to shine exactly where you want them to. As they are generally understated in design, they allow the art itself to be the center of attention, and if you decide to move your artwork then they do not need to be uninstalled and moved, too, as they can be adjusted to point at the art’s new location.
Spotlights
With the right spotlights, you can accent the artwork in a room in a beautiful way. They’re easy to adjust to ensure that they are featuring the art appropriately, and provide a more high intensity light that is quite striking. However, remember that if the art is glossy in its finish or framed behind glass, spotlights are not always the best choice as they can cause unsightly and distracting reflections or spots of intense brightness on the surface.
Picture Lights
One popular option for lighting artwork is a picture light, mounted either on the wall directly above a piece or onto the frame itself. With one installed for each work of art, these provide direct illumination and adjustability for the perfect angle, giving a focused and intimate glow that draws people closer.
LED strip lights
If your room is already full of design features and decor, LED strip lighting is an excellent option because it gives off a beautiful glow without adding a fixture that might start to make the space look cluttered. You can place it strategically to shine on a piece of artwork, either installed into the ceiling to create drama or even be into baseboards to cast a beautiful glow on your piece from underneath.
Display Floor Lamps
Some floor lamps come with an integrated easel, making them an all-in-one way to showcase your artwork. These are sure to be a centerpiece in any room, inviting your family and guests to walk over and experience the painting or photograph more intimately.
The Best Size of Fixtures for Your Artwork
As a general rule, the size of light fixtures is based on the size of the artwork that you are lighting.
Art that is 8-12 inches wide = 4 ½ inch fixture
Art that is 12-17 inches wide = 5 ½ inch fixture
Art that is 18-24 inches wide = 7-8 inch fixture
Art that is 25-35 inches wide = 14 ½-16 inch fixture
Art that is more than 35 inches wide = 30 inch fixture.
Positioning and Angling Light to Showcase Your Artwork
When positioning your light fixture, you will want to use a 30-degree angle to minimize glare. If you go less than 30 degrees, you can cast long shadows, if you go greater than 30 degrees, you can cause a glare on the art’s surface. If you’re lighting an oil painting or art that features a great deal of texture, subtract 5 degrees from that angle, which will add slight shadows without distracting from the art itself.
Choosing the Right Light Bulbs
The four main types of bulbs that can be used to illuminate art are halogen, incandescent, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), and LEDs. Halogen bulbs bring a bright white light that is ideal for emphasizing colors beautifully, but they emit UV light that can gradually erode a painting or photograph, causing irreparable damage – so if you use them then be sure that the bulbs include a UV filter. Incandescent light emits a warm and yellowish light, which is well suited for art with red, brown, and yellow hues; however, they also emit low levels of ultraviolet light. CFLs put out the same amount and type of light as incandescent bulbs, but use only about one quarter of the energy, but they also emit some UV radiation.
The most commonly recommended bulbs for featuring artwork are LEDs. They do not emit UV light, and so won’t damage or fade your art. They also use significantly less energy than incandescent bulbs (around 75% less), and often do not need to be replaced for years. Look for LED bulbs that have an adjustable color temperature and modify it so it complements the colors, tones, and textural look of your artwork.
Color Temperature of Light for Artwork
Choose lighting that has a color temperature that plays nicely with the colors of the artwork itself. The temperature of light bulbs is measured in kelvins, ranging from 1,000 to 10,000. The lower ranges produce warmer light, with hues that have a red, orange, or yellow tint to them that can enhance traditional art. Cooler temperatures (above 4,000 kelvins) are more like daylight, and may be better suited for contemporary pieces.
Many LED bulbs available today are color-tunable, which means that you can vary the color temperature and intensity of the light. This is ideal if you want flexibility in how your artwork is lit, enabling you to tailor the light for a particular piece or even based on the time of day.
Color Temperature of Light for Artwork
Oil and Acrylic Paintings
Oil paintings are naturally glossy in their finish and often use beautiful colors and textures to give depth to their appearance. Because of this, you typically do not want to use intense spotlighting as it can show as a bright spot on the surface, so an LED light is often used in galleries and can be used in your home, too.
Acrylic paintings, on the other hand, have a matte look unless they have been finished with a high gloss varnish or covered with glass. If they have not, then they can be illuminated with a more intense light, but they are also well-served by LED lighting.
Watercolor Paintings
To achieve even lighting and prevent fading, watercolor paintings with their matte finish and flatter texture can also handle a brighter light, so long as they are not framed behind glass, which can catch a spotlight and disrupt the visual experience.
Sculptures and 3D Art
Since they come in a wide variety of finishes, from matte to glossy, sculptures are often best suited to softer light, rather than more intense spotlights. In general, if a sculpture can be experienced in the round, where a viewer can walk around the entire piece, then be careful not to light it from only one angle – especially not from directly behind the piece, as it can muddle the details. With this type of art, diffused light from more than one source and angle is a good practice.
Mixed Media and Textiles
One of the things that makes this type of art so special is its textures. When lighting mixed media or textiles, you want to enhance the dimensionality of the surface by lighting it from above or below. Experiment with the angle of the light to be sure that it creates the effect you want.
Photography
Photographic prints and digital art require different kinds of lighting depending on their finish. If they have a matte finish, they can hold up to a spotlight or track lighting well, but if they are glossy or framed behind glass, then a softer and more diffused light is preferable, so it won’t create a glare. A good bet is to choose a LED light in any fixture.
Find the Perfect Lighting for Your Art Collection
At Visual Comfort, we have a wide range of ceiling lights, track lights, spotlights, picture lights, and much more to help you find the right solution for spotlighting your artwork. Visit http://visualcomfort.com/ to learn more and find the perfect fit.
FAQs
Why is direct sunlight not the best option for art?
The UV rays in sunlight can damage and degrade art, so it is important to keep art such as paintings, textiles, and even photography and some sculptures out of direct sunlight – as well as direct light from UV-producing sources such as incandescent bulbs.
What is the ideal angle for lighting artwork?
To reduce unsightly shadows or distracting glare, light your artwork at a 30 degree angle. This will display it at its best, while drawing people closer to examine and enjoy its details.
What are the best bulbs for lighting artwork?
LED light bulbs have tremendous advantages when it comes to lighting artwork. First of all, they will not emit harmful UV rays that can damage the piece. Second, many LED bulbs come with adjustable color, so you can fine-tune them to exactly the right hue to complement your artwork.