If you like artwork and you do your own pieces of art at home, you would like to come up with a good and convenient way of displaying your paintings. However, not all paints can be exposed to the same conditions, that is why you have to take into consideration the type of paint and its properties before displaying it in a particular place. So, what is the proper way of displaying an oil painting, and what factors do you need to consider?
Oil paint is heavy and dense, meaning it can be exposed to the sun and natural light without any worry that it will be damaged. If the painting is made on canvas, board, or panel you do not need to put it under glass since it serves for protection. Oil paint has the protection of UV rays in itself.
Displaying artwork around the house can be tough considering that you have to think about a lot of paint features in order to protect it. In this article, I have discussed the proper ways in which you can display your oil paintings
without worrying that they will be damaged or faded after some time. Once you read the information below, you will know exactly where your oil painting will look great and be preserved in an appropriate manner. Here it is, How Do You Display An Oil Painting?
Table of Contents
How To Properly Display An Oil Painting
If you are an artist or just an artwork collector, you still need to learn the proper way to display your pieces of art in order to preserve them in the proper way. When it comes to oil paintings, it could be considered that they are the simplest types of artwork that do not require a lot of work and effort in order to be displayed. Oil paint is heavy and dense by nature, and it usually provides a lot of protection by itself, so surrounding factors are not really harmful to it.
However, you still need to obey some basic rules that apply when it comes to displaying oil paintings. Also, the way in which you display your paintings influences your home decor and style, so you have to be careful and precise when it comes to oil paintings. For instance, if you put a quite big oil painting in a generally small space, it could make the space look smaller and crammed, and this is not something you desire.
When you display an oil painting in the right environmental conditions along with the perfect amount of space, your painting will achieve its main role, i.e. it will embellish the room. This way you will add to your home style and decor, but you will also be sure that your painting will not suffer any damage or change in colors that commonly happens when a painting is not properly displayed.
What Do You Need For Displaying An Oil Painting?
Before you commence the process of displaying your painting, you need to consider the tools that will be necessary for this purpose. Each element that you display around your home needs to be secured and well installed in order to avoid any damage, therefore, paintings are not excluded from this case. When you want to display your oil painting, you will need the following things:
- Picture hooks
- A wire
- Screws
- A frame
- A thermometer
- Spotlights (if you want to highlight the painting)
Displaying The Oil Painting
Firstly, you need to find the right and suitable frame for your oil painting. If you are about to display a classic oil painting, you may want to go with traditional frames, such as the intricate ones or those that include golden leaf applications. If you have something that is more modern and contemporary, then you can go with simple frames, which usually come in black or white colors.
Once you find your frame, you need to pick the right place for it. For instance, if your oil painting is quite big, you will need plenty of space, such as the wall over a couch. When you have a large painting, make sure that you do not squeeze it among several smaller hanging because the space will look too busy, and your painting will not give the wanted effect you expect. On the other hand, a small painting might be combined with other smaller hangings without losing its quality and effect.
Furthermore, when you are positioning your painting, make sure that the center of it is on eye level, and the frame is parallel to the floor. This is very important for the visual effect. Paintings that are not positioned properly might have a bad impact on the perspective of the room. Many times, improperly positioned paintings can cause people to look at them for the wrong reasons and make their eyes tired since they are trying to realize what is not right with the painting.
Then, you should insert two screws on the back of the canvas. Then cut a piece of wire according to the dimensions of your painting, and tie each end to the screws. The wire will act as a hanger for your painting.
After you are finished with this step, place two picture hooks on the wall where you intend to display your painting. Make sure that your painting is stable and in the right position to the floor and other surrounding objects. Lastly, you can use some spotlights below the painting if you want to highlight this installment in the room.
Going through all the steps will help you display your painting properly and securely. However, you need to think about some additional factors, such as the temperature in the room. You will need a thermometer to see whether your room temperature is suitable for the oil painting in order not to damage the colors in the first place. The proper and safe temperature for an oil painting is around 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit in winter, and 70 to 75 degrees in summer.
Should You Frame An Oil Painting Under Glass?
When the oil paint is applied on a canvas, board, or panel, you do not need to put your oil painting under glass. Generally, glass is used for protecting artwork from UV rays and moisture, but when it comes to oil paint that is not needed considering that this kind of paint is quite dense and heavy, meaning it is in a way protecting itself.
Applying a coat of varnish after finishing the oil painting is considered sufficient for protecting the painting from moisture and fading. However, make sure that the varnish layer is applied after six months of the finishing of the painting. This is a preventive step that ensures that the oil paint has dried completely, and any amount of varnish cannot damage it.
Nonetheless, you might wonder why you should not put your oil paint under glass since you have seen that that is what they do in several museums. What you have seen is actually an additional preventive step to avoid vandalism of really valuable and expensive artwork. Some museums decide to take additional preventive measures to ensure high security for pieces of art that have extreme value, meaning they do not want to take any risks when it comes to masterpieces.
However, there are cases in which you might consider framing your oil painting under glass after all. For instance, if your painting has been done on paper or a thin card, you might want to add the glass for support. While the oil paint might not need the protection of the glass, the paper surely will.
In addition, if you decide to frame your oil painting under glass, you have to consider adding a mat as well. Mats are also known as framing mounts, and they specifically serve to add space between the painting and the glass. The mat is not used for decorative purposes or similar stuff, but to prevent condensation and allow air circulation inside the frame.
Otherwise, you might run the risk of getting mold, mildew, or buckling. The mat is also the thing that ensures that the paint will not touch the glass. This way, you are protecting your oil painting in a sure way, so you will not worry about causing some damages to the painting after some time.
What Things Should You Avoid When Displaying An Oil Painting?
There are several common mistakes that people make when they display artwork made of oil paints. Although oil painting does not need special requirements for displaying, there are still some factors that you need to take into consideration.
Hot And Smokey Areas Are Not Suitable For Oil Paintings
You should never consider displaying your work of art in hot places, such as the kitchen where there is steam and heat constantly, or over radiators and heaters. Heat causes moisture reductions and chemical reactions in the oil paintings which can lead to severe damages to the paint. There might come a breakage of the fibers, as well as cracking of the paint, and that is not something you can fix.
The smoke and the heat impact the quality of the paint, and you can rarely do something after the damage has occurred. Therefore, you should avoid smokey and hot areas as a place for your pieces of artwork.
Direct Sunlight Should Be Avoided
Although oil paintings are not harmed by being exposed to the sun, you should still consider some sort of protection in order to avoid fading of the colors. If you display your oil painting in a room where there is sunlight, it is nothing serious. However, placing your oil painting right next to a window where there is constant sunlight for a certain amount of hours during the day might not be such a good idea.
Some high-quality oil paints might not be affected, but you never know how the structure of the paint reacts after some time. So, do not take the risk, especially if your piece of artwork is of high value.
High Humidity Areas Are Not Recommended
You might wonder how humidity can affect oil paintings since they are known to be dense and not prone to cracks or breakages. However, humidity can be a real enemy even to oil paint, so you should not take the risks. Humidity might not affect the paint directly, but it may have some negative effects on other things, such as the canvas on which the oil paint is applied.
For instance, exposure to high humidity can cause the canvas to shrink, meaning it would surely affect the paint as well. In addition, even if the oil paint is applied on a wooden surface, the risk is even greater. Humidity can be quite harmful to wood, and that way affects the paint as well.
Cleaning And Maintenance Should Not Be Neglected
You should not forget to clean and maintain your oil paintings regularly since it is not enough just to finish the paint with some varnish. Every type of paint needs to be cleaned properly from time to time in order to keep it in a good and original shape. However, if you clean your oil painting in an improper manner, you should expect some changes that you will not like.
Therefore, make sure that you dust your paintings with suitable brushes every four to five months. You should also check for cracks regularly since you do not want dust to enter between the paints. If you spot any cracks, you should think about restoring your oil painting immediately in order to avoid further damage.
Final Words
As you could see, you can easily display oil paintings without worrying that the place will cause any damage to them. However, you should always consider the necessary factors that affect oil paint after it is displayed.
Sources
- How to Display Oil Paintings
- Does an Oil Painting Need to Be Framed With Glass?
- 5 Mistakes You Should Avoid to Better Preserve Your Paintings
- Paul Gauguin | Two Women | The Metropolitan Museum of Art