The Damaging Effects Of Light On Artworks
Light, it’s hard to escape, it’s even harder to avoid it when we want to look at something clearly, for obvious reasons. However, it has actually known to have deteriorating effects on artwork, with officials at the Louvre in Paris even noticing the wear and tear of the Mona Lisa. Daylight, containing infrared and UV rays is especially damaging and research has shown that even some of the lighting technology in galleries can cause colour degradation. Alp Durmus, an honorary associate at the School of Architecture, Design and Planning at the University of Sydney, recently completed research on ways that lighting technology can be used to reduce the colour and pigment damage on paintings, and he joined Drive on the line to discuss his research and tell us more.
