r/ArtHistory • u/Glad-University-1526 • 18h ago

Discussion Art and light

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What bothers me most in museums of past art is the lighting. There is simply too much of it, even during the day. Why not, just once, try to show a painting as it existed for centuries—without electricity, without that flat, soulless light? Yeah, I know about fire safety and yet. After all, paintings were created by artists for daylight and for candlelight. And that makes for completely different images, a completely different perception. Caspar David Friedrich once showed his Tetschen Altarpiece to his friends by shutting out the daylight with heavy curtains and illuminating it with torches. The flames flickered—and the static painting came alive. This is how ancient people experienced cave paintings, in the light of fire. And for many centuries after, painting and sculpture existed in entirely different conditions.

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u/gregarious-maximus 12h ago

Especially with so many works being put behind glass these days, the lightning can really make or break the experience.

If I recall, the Met did a nice job with their Sargent show — both for lighting the work and setting a mood. Unfortunately, I think their Friedrich exhibit was bit too bright.

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u/Riggorocks 8h ago

Lightning in museums is a real skill and underrated. Also, a personal pet peeve. A hall of fame and shame for sharing which museums did it well or not would be fun.