The Four Aspects To Consider When Lighting Art

Artwork resulting from hours and hours of contemplation, detailed work, and refinement should have the opportunity to be best appreciated through appropriate lighting. Elements within lighting play important parts in how artwork is featured and conveyed. In general, there are four aspects to consider when lighting art:

Ambient lighting: When you pick the light to accent your artwork, the general rule of thumb is to pick a light that is 3 times as bright or intense as your ambient lighting. Ambient lighting is the room's general lighting.This ratio makes it so that the artwork appears just right - not too dull and not too bright.  A good way to go about it is to first pick a light that best illuminates your art and then proceed to choose your ambient lighting. For information on how to light for ambiance, figure out how to calculate lighting for a room.

Color temperatures: Some pieces of art are sensitive to heat, infrared radiation (IR), and ultra violet (UV). That is why one should take great care in choosing the right light to cast over these works of art as well as keep them out of direct sunlight.  In this case, choose lighting that have special UV and IR ray blocking lens, keep the lighting an appropriate distance from the piece, while considering which light color is best for your art work (something cooler or warmer).

Color rendering index:  Color Rendering index (CRI) is a measurement of a light source's ability to stay true to color ranging from 1 to 100 where 100 is most true. In lighting art, the higher the CRI the more desirable it is.

Light positioning: How a light is positioned affects how artwork is highlighted.  A light directed at a lower angle better features texture within the art whereas higher angles is better for encompassing larger works.  In general, reduce glare by positioning your light at a 30 degree angle from the piece of art.

Halogen Track Lighting: A popular choice for lighting art

Halogen lighting has a high CRI which helps in allowing artwork to be displayed at its more true state and color. In addition to its less harmful rays, halogen lighting is a better option than incandescent and fluorescent lighting when it comes to lighting art. Track lighting is popular for lighting art because of its ability to achieve task and accent lighting with the option of offering energy efficiency through its low voltage variant. Therefore, the combination halogen track lighting makes it a good choice for artwork lighting. Go here for more information on what track rail lighting is. 

LED Track Lighting: A step up in artwork lighting

An even better option for lighting artwork than halogen track lighting is LED lighting often used in high end restaurants and art galleries. Utilizing LED lighting technology, a durable and energy efficient light source packaged in a track lighting form yields a stylish and earth-friendly lighting which works great on lighting artwork.  

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