Light artistry

Light has special effects on how we think and behave—ponder for example time you’ve spent beside fireplaces or in sun-filled conservatories—while also sending symbolic messages. Recently, at museum shows, artists have been putting light to work to complement the artworks they’ve created.
Jori Finkel reports in a recent article in The New York Times (2024, “Art Seeks Enlightenment in Darkness,” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/24/arts/design/museum-lighting-darkness.html) that “Across the country, visual artists are plunging visitors into museum spaces where you can hardly make out the wall labels in front of you, and not just for film and video. . . . The most obvious implication of all these darkened exhibitions is that we are living in dark times, which is hard to refute. But artists and curators involved say it’s more nuanced than that, and these shows are not simply an expression of grief or mourning. . . . The idea that an artist’s vision might extend beyond the picture frame to include lighting can be a challenge for the most traditional, or hierarchical, museums.”