I finally got why art shows have those weird lighting setups

Was at a local gallery downtown last Saturday, the one on 3rd and Main. This digital print caught my eye from across the room, vivid blues and greens just popping. Walked up closer and the colors looked totally different, almost muddy. That's when I noticed they had these special track lights aimed right at it from three angles. The guy running the place said they pay like $200 per bulb for the right color temperature. Kinda makes me wonder if I'm underselling my own digital work by just viewing it under my desk lamp at home.

2 comments

2 Comments

joseph_coleman1mo ago

Have you ever tried looking at your art under a regular grow light bulb? My buddy who does photography uses those cheap LED plant lights from the hardware store to check his prints... says the spectrum is way closer to gallery lighting than normal house bulbs. Cost him like 12 bucks instead of 200.

johnthompson1mo ago

Whoa, that's actually a really smart trick. I mean, if the spectrum is close enough to gallery lights for a fraction of the cost, it kind of makes you wonder why more artists don't use them for proofing. Maybe it's just me but saving $188 on something that does basically the same job feels like a no-brainer.