For that artistic ambience
– K. Ramesh Babu
One for everyone: One can buy art works ranging from Rs.80 to Rs.10,000 at
Aishwarya Frames in A.S. Rao Nagar, in Hyderabad.
A touch of art can change the way a living room presents
itself.
For that matter, whether it be dining area, a children’s room or even a
bedroom, a well chosen work of art can give an entirely different look. Bring in
landscapes, dot the walls with bunches of flowers, go abstract or pick from a
collection of gods.
Art might appear costly but then one can also browse for a good and
affordable collection of paintings from different sources in Hyderabad.
Aishwarya Frames at A.S.Rao Nagar in Hyderabad is one such gallery that stocks a
varied collection.
Do not really bother much about pricing. Depending on your wallet and choice,
one can scout for aesthetically done art works in a price that range from Rs.80
to Rs.10,000. Aishwarya Frames (Ph.27740753) boasts of an entire range of
paintings from Madhubani to miniature art.
One can browse through the art work done by Manisha Gupta, the in-house
artist who also specialises in fibre glass painting and pot painting.
Also, the place has various paintings on textures like crushed paper, prints,
canvas, silk cloth, handmade papers, and jute and also paintings done on bark
from trees.
“Most of the art work is sold for offices and homes and art lovers tend to
buy paintings which give out positive energy (positive art) to the rooms,”
says Manisha Gupta. Landscapes, flowers, abstracts, unfinished paintings,
paintings of gods are the most sought after paintings because each is apt for
situations like marriages, house warming ceremonies and birthdays, adds the
artist.
ABHIJIT DEV KUMAR
Courtesy:
Property Plus, The Hindu
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Lighting up the art work
| Lighting is critical for displaying fine art, hence decisions on the
right light source, the right light fitting and the right positioning
becomes critical, writes Hema Vijay |
Right mix: The charm of art works can be made or marred by the
combination of lights and colours provided. Photo: courtesy: Sujatha Shankar
Physics points out that light is a combination of colours of
different wavelengths. Sunlight, for instance, is the coming together of the
seven hues we see in the rainbow. So intimately are light and colour connected
that the charm of art works can be made or marred by the kind of lighting it
gets. Proper lighting can light up the art work, enhancing its value and
appearance. And vice versa. Flawed lighting can detract from an art work, be it
a painting or a textile, and e ven shorten its lifespan. Lighting is critical
for displaying fine art, so decide on the right light source, the right light
fitting and the right positioning to make the best of the art on your wall.
The right lights
So, what’s the best lighting for viewing art? “Nothing like natural
light”, says Sujatha Shankar, architect and interior designer. But the
architecture and the lifestyle of our times do not allow sunlight a freeway into
our structures, even during the day, making artificial lighting inevitable. And
on the flipside, the infrared and ultraviolet (UV) rays of natural sunlight can
damage paintings over time. UV rays cause fading of art works created on textile
(like tapestry, quilts and rugs) and the art works created on paper like water
colour paintings and photographs. So don’t expose these kinds of work to
direct sunlight.
In choosing artificial lighting for your art work, the first rule is, let
your painting decide its own light source. The fact is, different types of
artificial lighting have different effects. For instance, incandescent (the
classic bulbs) lights bring out warm colours in the painting such as red,
orange, and yellow tones, but flatten out cool colours like green and blue. So,
if you have a painting dominated by warm colours, incandescent lights can be an
option, if you plan to use it for very limited period of time, as these lights
are extremely energy inefficient, and also emanate a lot of heat. On the other
hand, fluorescent lights (our compact fluorescent ‘tubelights’), give off a
high amount of UV rays which can cause a fading effect on the canvas. Today,
architects recommend halogen lights which emit strong white light as a possible
option. “CDMTs and metal halide lamps are good options“, says Sujatha. The
thing to keep in mind is, use a halogen lamp of less rather than more wattage,
the strength of which is decided after taking into consideration the size of the
room, the other light sources in the room, and the size of the painting.
Light fittings and
positioning
Actually, all lights (natural and artificial) damage paintings over a period
of time, so never go in for direct lighting. “Powerful spotlights should never
be positioned too close to the painting”, Sujatha warns. Let the light source
bounce from the wall on to the art work, rather than directly from the light
source. “This can be achieved by concealed lighting, where the light source is
kept concealed by creating a false ceiling that doesn’t reach up to the wall.
This light can be directed to a point on the ceiling from where it bounces over
to the painting on the wall”, suggests Sujatha. For paintings which are quite
long, use track lights to cover the large space, rather than a single lighting
source, she adds.
Sujatha also points out that apart from the regular GLS bulbs, users now have
the option to choose from CFLs or energy savers which come in three tones –
pure white, cool white and yellow tones. Adds Electrical consultant K. Ganesh,
“Discerning art lovers may even opt for optical projectors, which allow the
intensity and direction of the light field to be controlled. LEDS (Light
Emitting Diodes) that can emit light for as many as 100,000 hours are another
option”.
Courtesy:
Property Plus, The Hindu
