A lighting solution specifically designed for museums made it possible to highlight the works of a forgotten artist.
Illuminating the work of
the master of candlelight
A lighting solution specifically designed for museums made it possible to highlight the works of a forgotten artist.
I love
the accuracy
that was possible with the PerfectBeam lighting to get exactly the effect that we desired”
Dr. Anja Sevcik, head of Baroque painting and curator of the Schalcken-Painted Seduction exhibition, Wallraf Richartz Museum
Sevcik wanted to create a special atmosphere for the exhibition, to give visitors an experience that put them in the right mood for visiting the paintings. "We wanted to draw attention to the light effects and to point out the little details of Schalcken’s meticulous fine painting,” said Sevcik “In the 17th century, Schalcken’s paintings were described as jewels and gems. That was something I wanted to achieve with the lighting."
Schalcken was a genre, portrait and history painter who specialized in the portrayal of candlelight, illuminating his rich and polished scenes. Dr. Anja Sevcik explained that while Schalcken had been much admired in the past, his very elegant paintings had fallen from favor in the 19th century. With this exhibition of his work, "we were trying to re-establish him as an important figure in the history of art," Sevcik said.
This exhibition was the first application of Philips’ PerfectBeam LED luminaire range, which was designed specifically for museum applications as it strikes the perfect balance between presenting and preserving art. It gives great freedom to designers of temporary exhibitions while offering low maintenance and energy efficiency. Inspired by precision optics of camera lenses, this luminaire range comes with a zoom functionality and a number of beam shaping lenses that are easy to adapt, allowing museums to recreate an infinite number of light effects suited to each new exhibition.
"Lighting is a very subtle and important issue,” said Sevcik. “For this exhibition it added real value. Visitors told us that they loved the atmosphere of the exhibition. We were able to transport them back to a feeling of what it might have been like to view these paintings at the time they were painted when light was costly and rare.”
Striking the balance between
presenting and preserving art
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