Case Study 01
Artwork Lighting
A framed painting on a gallery wall, lit for clarity and colour truth without glare or spill.
The design challenge
Illuminate a framed artwork so that pigments read truthfully, the frame stays uncluttered by shadow, and no light spills onto the viewer or the surrounding wall.
Interactive demonstration
Interactive 3D preview of the configured lighting scene. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom.
Why this works
- 01A 20°–30° aiming angle places the beam above the viewer's line of sight while still lighting the artwork square-on — no glare on glass, no distorted shadow from the frame.
- 023000 K with CRI 95 (R9 > 90) renders warm pigments accurately without shifting whites yellow.
- 03A tight 20° beam at ~2.4 m throw contains the light to the artwork and stops well short of the floor.
Common mistakes
- ×Aiming from directly above (90°) — flattens the surface and casts the frame's shadow onto the canvas.
- ×Aiming too shallow (<20°) — reflected glare from glass or varnish into the viewer's eyes.
- ×Using CRI 80 sources — reds and skin tones desaturate; the piece looks lifeless.
- ×Choosing a beam too wide — spill onto adjacent wall areas destroys the object-in-space effect.
Technical reference
Values are educational reference points, not specification. Every project requires site-specific analysis and product photometric data.
Luxitecture recommendation
Use a small framing projector or a high-CRI track spot with an internal honeycomb louvre. Aim from a ceiling position roughly 800 mm off the wall face, at 25° from vertical. Keep the same fixture family across the room for consistency; vary only the beam angle to the size of each work.