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If you have beautiful paintings and prints as your décor, you want to ensure they are shown in the best light possible. Art display illumination is an important element to consider when planning your lighting design, and in this article, we’ll explore what picture lighting is and how to incorporate it into the home.
What is Picture Lighting?
Picture lights are a light style that is designed to illuminate artwork as it hangs on the wall. The idea of a picture light is to evenly spread photo or painting illumination across the work, showing off its details without casting shadows.
A quality picture light will ensure that the textures, colours and other visual elements of the art piece are clearly visible and preserved. You’ll see this sort of art lighting in museums and galleries, and those who have art to display at home can benefit from it as well.
LED picture lights come in many different styles, usually in the form of picture wall sconces. This style of picture lamp sits either on the sides of the frame or above it, depending on preference and the situation.
Picture frame lights light up artwork from the frame itself. These lights are ideal for paintings that need illumination up close for one reason or another.
Track lighting is another common way to illuminate art. This lighting is used as an over-picture light source usually mounted on the ceiling. Spotlights shine directly onto the artwork, often at a close distance. Those who like to rotate their art on display may benefit most from the adjustable picture lighting that track lights afford.
Other ceiling lights used to light up artwork include recessed lighting. Recessed lights are mostly hidden in the ceiling, providing a minimalist look. This keeps the focus on the art itself and not the fixtures that illuminate it.
Alongside functionality, wall mounted picture lights can also improve the aesthetics of a room. A gold picture light can bring an art gallery feel to your home, for example. Black picture light fittings, on the other hand, can blend better into the environment to improve upon the overall appearance.
Do LEDs Damage Paint on Artwork And Paintings?
Art can be delicate depending on the medium and the materials used. Because of this, it is a common concern that a picture wall light might damage artwork. Fortunately, this isn’t something you really need to worry about.
Generally speaking, LED lights are safe to use to light artwork, especially compared to halogen or incandescent lighting. It’s important to choose the right LED picture light fixture to reduce the risk of damage.
The main benefit of an LED picture light sconce is the reduced level of heat. Halogen bulbs output a notable amount of heat. Too much heat can cause damage to pigments, warp the canvases or otherwise deteriorate the art. Since LED bulbs output next to no heat, the risk of this is much lower.
UV radiation is another concern for preserving artwork. UV lights can cause the colours to fade and degrade over time. It can also damage the canvas itself. Since LED lights don’t output high levels of UV lighting, this won’t be a concern.
That said, not all LED bulbs are the same in terms of quality. You’ll need to choose a picture spotlight or wall sconce with high quality LED bulbs to preserve your art. When you are deciding on which LED to use, you should pay attention to the colour temperature of the light.
Choose a color temperature that won’t distort the colours or overall appearance of the art piece. Some works look better with cool lights, while others will benefit from warmer lights. Check both to see which one best suits your unique art.
You will also want to pay attention to the colour rendering index, or CRI. This measurement indicates how accurately a light will show the colours of the painting. Generally, it is best to shoot for a rating of 80 or higher.
Why is Picture Lighting Important?
While you may think that your ambient light is enough to display your artwork, relying on ambient light alone won’t do the artwork justice. Without having a direct source of light on the artwork, you may end up casting shadows and not displaying it to its full potential. Similarly, relying on nearby wall sconces or floor lamps to do the job runs the risk of creating hotspots and glare on the artwork.
A modern picture light will ensure that your artwork is getting the attention it deserves. Good lighting will ensure that the colours, textures and other details are on clear display. With this, viewers can see the finer details of the art that a poor light setting might make it easy to overlook, such as brushwork.
Picture lighting can also help you create a focal point in your space. Well-lit art becomes a statement that is hard to miss and serves as a great conversation starter. Similarly, well-lit art can also influence the mood of the room and the emotions of the guests within it. Help your room achieve the perfect atmosphere with the inclusion of picture lights.
Perhaps most importantly, picture lights help preserve the artwork, as we mentioned earlier. Choosing LED picture lights will reduce the risk of damage done to the work while preserving the intent of the artist visually.
What Kind of Picture Lights Are There?
There are three main categories of picture lighting: downlights, frame mounted lights and track lights.
- Downlights are installed in or on the ceiling directly above the art piece, ideally with a precise beam angle that can be pointed toward the art in question.
- Track lights are picture spotlight heads that mount on a long track installed on the ceiling in front of the photo or painting. These often feature moveable components that allow you to direct the light just where you like it.
- Frame mounted lights are capable of being attached right to a frame to give the art a direct, closely-positioned level of light.
Ultimately, the style of picture light you choose will come down to the specific artwork you are displaying, as well as your preferences.
What to Consider When Fitting a Picture Light
There are a few tips you should keep in mind when shopping for a picture wall light.
- PICTURE LIGHT SIZE – In order to ensure that the light covers the whole painting, you’ll need a picture light that fits the size of the art. The larger the art, the larger the light will need to be.
For landscapes, opt for a picture light that is between a third and a half of the width of the picture. For portrait art, choose a light that is around half of the width of the artwork.
- USE LED BULBS – LED bulbs are preferred over halogen lights in picture lights for many reasons. Among the most important is perhaps the ability to choose the CCT and CRI, which we will touch on later. Another is that LED lights don’t output heat or UV light the way traditional bulbs do, so you won’t have to worry about the light damaging the art.
- MAKE THE PICTURE LAMP A PART OF THE DECOR – Since it will be visible near the painting, the picture light should fit the style of the rest of the room.
For an opulent gallery-like feel, a gold picture light can bring elegance to the space. If you want something more muted that blends in with its environment, a neutral hue such as black will do the trick.
- LUMEN COUNT – Lumens are a way to indicate the brightness of an LED light the way watts indicate the brightness of a traditional bulb. Different works of art will require different lumen levels.
For instance, if you are illuminating a painting that uses watercolours, you will need to match its softness with an equally soft source of light. Whereas modern acrylics benefit from super bright light, water colours benefit from a soft glow with a low lumen count.
What is CRI? Why should you use picture lights with a high CRI?
CRI stands for Colour Rendering Index. It measures the natural appearance of a colour’s render underneath any source of artificial white light compared to how it looks under sunlight.
The spectrum for CRI runs from 0 to 100, with 100 indicating a perfectly accurate representation of the colours. Anything under 80 is believed to be poor CRI. Anything between 90-99 is considered to be great.
When it comes to hanging artwork in your home or business, a picture light fixture with a high CRI is best. The primary job of picture lights is to illuminate the artwork and make it clearly visible.
By choosing picture lighting with a high CRI, you can be sure that what guests see when they look at the artwork is what the artist intended for them to see when creating the piece.
What is CCT? What is The Best CCT to Light Paintings?
Colour correlated temperature, or CCT, is another way to discuss the colour temperature of a light. CCT indicates the coolness or the warmth of a light as represented in degrees Kelvin. This colour falls on a spectrum rated between 1,000 and 10,000.
Toward the top of the spectrum is where you’ll find the coolest, bluest light. Conversely, the bottom of the spectrum houses the warmer light.
The colour temperature of a light certainly has an effect on the appearance of the painting or photography prints. Generally speaking, in order to have the artwork presented in the best possible light, it is recommended that you use lights somewhere between 2,700 and 3,000k. This will give you a clear look at the artwork without the light being harsh on the eyes.
How To Position LED Picture Lights
Not only is the type of picture light you choose important, but the way you install it is also crucial. If you want to get your picture lighting right, follow these simple tips:
- Place the light in such a way that the beam of illumination shines somewhere in the middle of the piece. Doing so will eliminate hot spots, glare and shadows.
- Further avoid glare by placing the light directly above the artwork at a close distance. This will move the light right onto the picture at an angle that is steep enough to prevent glare.
- The standoff of the picture light needs to be a bit thicker than the frame itself to remove obstructions in the light’s beam. After sorting that out, you can work out the height at which you should mount the picture light — it needs to be the same height as the standoff.
- Large pieces of art with ample vertical space will need a photo light that has a bigger standoff than average.
- Generally speaking, picture lights should be installed 1.5 to two times the width of the artwork away from the art.
- Position the lights at the ideal angle of between 30 and 45 degrees to prevent disruptive shadows.
- Place the light an inch above the standoff to generate a more even wash of light. With the light at that position, you can direct the light beam in such a way that it will also avoid glare.
- Choose track lights if you want to adjust the angle of the light. This is an especially good idea for those who plan to change their rotation of art on display.
Ideas for Picture Wall Light Fixtures
The LWA525 6 Watt 500mm Wide LED Picture Light is a modern, minimalistic style of picture light that looks as beautiful as the art it is meant to display. This picture light features a short cylindrical post that holds the thin bar light beneath it. Illumination shines through the acrylic diffuser on the bottom of the bar light, outputting 600 lumens of 3000k warm white light. It measures an overall size of 500 millimeters in width by 120 millimeters in projection, allowing it to easily illuminate the artwork beneath it.
For medium-sized artwork, the LWA526 8 Watt 600mm Wide LED Picture Light is a fine choice. This light measures 600 millimeters in width, providing a wider span of illumination beneath it. The 800 lumens of 3000k warm white light is emitted through the acrylic diffuser on the bottom of the bar light, which comes in either black or anodized gold. It has a 120-millimeter projection from the wall, helping to reduce the risk of glare.
Easily light up your larger works of art with the LWA528 11 Watt 800mm Wide LED Picture Light hanging above them. This picture lamp measures 800 millimeters in width, allowing light to spread over a wider area of space. It outputs a bright 1100 lumens of 3000k warm white lighting, providing ample illumination for acrylic paintings especially. The light shines through an acrylic diffuser positioned beneath the bar, which can be purchased in either black or anodized gold.
Light your artwork more subtly when you opt for the LDC701 5 Watt White Gimbal Tilting Recessed LED Ceiling Spotlight. This spotlight recesses into the ceiling above the light and features a tilting gimbal that permits you to aim the illumination exactly where you please. It outputs a total of 430 lumens of light, bringing soft illumination to your artwork or photo. This item measures 92 millimeters by 92 millimeters and is fashioned out of hard-wearing aluminium. Its white colour finish allows it to blend into any environment.
Take control of the appearance of your wall of artwork with the LSP227 9 Watt Slim Style LED Track Light. This disc track light features a minimalist design and can be tilted to shine 720 lumens at a 20-degree beam angle precisely where you like it. You can choose from either warm or cool light to suit your needs. Due to the versatile nature of track lighting, you can adjust its position if you ever change the art on display. The durable aluminium light comes in your choice of black or white colour finishes, ready to mount on your choice of track.
