Sustainable Illumination for Baroque Paintings with Historical Context Considerations

Abstract

The topic of museum illumination and conservation has been richly developed in recent years to take steps toward a zero-energy building concept. Most artworks preserved in museums’ expositions were designed for specifically defined light contexts, wherein daylight and seasonal changes were part of the artistic effect, an issue which has received little scholarly attention. From this premise, this paper aims to prove that defining the original illuminative context of artworks is required for a sustainable conservation, perception, and ultimate interpretation. To do this, a selection of seventeenth and eighteenth century churches and palaces from Europe, the Americas, and Asia will be presented using modern conservation frameworks for artworks. The results demonstrate that both aspects, chosen materials and light exposure, were connected, allowing the spaces to be effective without consuming too much electric lighting. This leads to a discussion about if museum displays should incorporate this context, if it is a more sustainable solution, and if it presents the artworks more accurately to visitors, even as other problems may arise.

The Future of Interior Lighting Is Here

“…The Special Issue, entitled "The Future of Interior Lighting Is Here", addressed several subjects on interior lighting such as architectural lighting, daylighting, Human Centric Lighting (HCL), the impact on human health, lighting design, sustainability, and social impact and wellbeing. A total number of eleven articles, ten research papers [24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] and one review paper [34], were published. In terms of the geographical distribution of the affiliations of the 34 contributing authors, contributions originated from ten countries, including Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Korea, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, and UK.…”

“…Luengo [31] states that a definition of the original lighting conditions is required for a sustainable conservation, ultimate interpretation, and perception of artworks. For this reason, 17th and 18th century churches from Americas, Asia, and Europe were selected and examined with modern conservation frameworks for artworks.…”

An Evaluation of Annual Luminous Exposure from Daylight in a Museum Room with a Translucent Ceiling

“…In 2016 a study by Mayorga Pinilla et al reported an advanced daylight evaluation on the cloister of Santa Maria El Paular in Spain [32] and suggested a method using the assessment of Global Risk Factor for understanding the daylight action. In the most recent study, Luengo analyzed the issues of sustainable illumination of painting collections and reported that lighting in museum buildings should be "the result of scientific studies, both general and specific for each piece" [33].…”

Simulation and Analysis of Floodlighting Based on 3D Computer Graphics

“…Computer simulation of floodlighting is now the basic tool for any designer of such installations [1][2][3]. On its basis, the design is analysed in terms of lighting features [4,5], energy [6], and impact on the environment [7][8][9][10], and, as far as outdoor objects are concerned, its impact on the natural environment is also investigated [11][12][13]. A lighting designer has various tools and methods that are constantly improved in terms of the IT solutions [14].…”