The Art of looking
Every artist knows that without good light you cannot see anything well. So in order to appreciate the best part of painting, you ought to have proper light. However the source of light is not the only thing that matters.
The position of painting will make a big difference as well. You must hang certain painting below or above your eye level, if you want to capture the interesting part of a painting .
In terms of light, too much of it can be undesirable for any kind of art work. It would be like seeing an overexposed photo. Truly, some painting ought to be hung on the wall in a dim light in order to have its colors projected richly. You will be amazed to see the rich glow in the painting. The same painting may look to you quite differently at two different environments. Bright daylight vs. light at dusk.
Since a painting stays still on the wall, you must move to the right or the left of the piece and look from an angle, then you can appreciate the best part or the most interesting part of painting. It is not necessarily true that the frontal view of a painting is the only right way to look. It all depends on what kind of art it is. It is particularly important to vary your standing position when you are viewing an abstract painting. Sometimes you’ll notice that the frontal view of an abstract painting may look very flat and uninteresting, but if you move your body to the right or the left, you’ll get to see something magical.
Sometimes you will discover the beauty of your painting when you lay sideway on the floor and look up toward the painting. The view can be so different from the frontal view while looking upright. Imagine when you are out in the wild, looking at some landscape, you’ll naturally move your body to various locations and try to capture the best view. It can be true with viewing a painting on the wall.
Sometimes your painting in a group exhibition may not be appreciated because it is not ideally placed for some pragmatic reasons. It is very likely in a salon type venue where all sizes, types, and frames compete with one another, and other silly concerns such as safety and reachability would overweigh the aesthetic aspect of art. Thus the potential art collector would need an excellent, critical eye to look for the unique art.