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It [seems|appears} that after spending so much for a piece of art such as a watercolor, for instancemany people just stop thinking of what is appropriate for it right afterwards, beyond hanging it in the hall. Displaying and art lighting the painting with picture frame lights turns out to be the end of the venture and no more remains but to gaze the painting. It may not be incorrect, but such is definitely incomplete, in that with the mistaken lighting system, the painting will not endure as it must, nor be viewed itself in the best, well, light. All art lights are not equal.

Natural light?

Natural light —sunshine- is the best for vision, but not always for watercolors and other [works|pieces} of art. For one, natural light is complicated to control. It can be brilliant one hour and cloudy the next, according to the vagaries of the heavens. Second, its ultraviolet and infrared rays can do considerable damage to artworks, especially watercolors, pastels and photos, and fabrics. The ultraviolet rays fade the hues 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.

Radiant light?

It has its upsides and negatives as well. Incandescent lighting or those with filaments that give off the light augment the hot tones yellow, orange, brown and red, but [renders|makes} the cooler hues rather flat. If the paintings or artworks are predominantly warm in color combinations, incandescent light could be suitable. Another downside is its greater levels of heat radiation contrasted with alternative lighting systems because of the glowing filament. The heat would, comparatively sooner than later, damage the artwork.

What about fluorescent lighting?

Fluorescents produce light by making phosphors inside a glass tube glimmer with ultraviolet energy from an inert gas and some evaporated mercury that are atomized with electricity. Because it is ultraviolet intensity that creates the initial power, fluorescent lighting promotes the cooler tones of the color spectrum: the blues and violets and greens, thus suppressing the other colors in comparison. Fluorescents naturally also radiate high amounts of ultraviolet light which can damage paintings much like sunlight. Finally, it does not emit all colors of the light band, so that sets a whole new problem for the showcase.

Is halogen lighting the best?

Halogen lighting is merely a development of incandescent lighting that uses halogen gas to make the tungsten vapor of the filament adhere back to the filament, extending lamp life. The action however needs higher heat amounts, so a halogen lamp is comparatively hotter than other light sources. This can damage the art by dehydrating the paint and making it crack, so museums use movement detectors to switch lights off and on as necessary.

So what is best?

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

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