Suggestions On Using The Appropriate Lighting Fixture To Display Your Framed Art

It seems that after spending so much for a work of art —a painting, for example— many people simply stop considering what is appropriate for it right afterwards, beyond hanging it in the wall. Using a picture frame lighting or a led picture light turns out to be the be all of the venture and no more is there but to admire the acquisition. It may not be faulty, but such is definitely lacking, in that with the mistaken lighting system, the painting will not last as it should, nor be viewed itself in the optimum, well, light. All art lights are hardly the same.

Natural light?

Nature-produced light such as sunshine is the best for vision, but not always for paintings and other works of art. For one, natural light is difficult to manage. It can be brilliant one moment and cloudy the next, according to the vagaries of the heavens. Second, its ultraviolet and infrared rays can wreak substantial damage to artworks, especially watercolors, pastels and photos, and fabrics. The ultraviolet rays diminish the colors in a short time, faster with unhindered sunlight, called bleaching which all of us are familiar with. It is thus not good for all art.

Incandescent light?

It has its upsides and downsides as well. Incandescent lights have filaments that emit the light augment the warm tones yellow, orange, brown and red, but renders the cooler hues rather dull. If the paintings or artworks are predominantly warm in color combinations, incandescent light might be suitable. Another negative is its higher levels of temperature radiation contrasted with other lighting systems because of the burning filament. The heat could harm the artwork.

What about phosphor lighting?

Fluorescents produce light by making phosphors within a glass tube glow with ultraviolet energy from an inert gas plus some vaporized mercury that are atomized with electric current. Because it is ultraviolet energy that makes the initial power, fluorescent lighting favors the cooler tones of the color band: the blues and violets and greens, thus minimizing the other tones in contrast. Fluorescents naturally also emit high amounts of ultraviolet light which can damage paintings so like sunlight. Finally, it does not release all colors of the light band, so that sets a different problem for the showcase.

Is halogen lighting the most appropriate?

Halogen lighting is simply a variation of incandescent lighting and uses halogen gas to force the tungsten vapor of the filament stick back to the filament, extending lamp life. The action however requires higher heat amounts so a halogen lamp is relatively hotter than different light sources. This can damage the art by dehydrating the oil and making it crackso museums use motion sensors to turn lights off and on.

So what is over-all most apt?

Until recently light emitting diodes (LED) give off light only in primary colors. Chinese scientists some years ago mixed blue and yellow in the right amounts to produce white, and white LEDs created a phenomenal explosion of uses, including lighting art pieces. It is bright, low voltage, has long life, no heat and radiation to damage art, and is inexpensive. It being new, it is not as yet widespread and as yet untested over time. Nevertheless, it seems to be the most suited system for each one and all.

Connor Sullivan is an entrepreneur who runs a large group of websites that specialize in high end items such as picture frame lighting. He has been successful with his art light site.