#raking light

[stephengillette]

Rather Obscure Abstract : : May, 2026 California

[huariqueje]

Vale raking light - Laura Boswell

British , b . ?

Linocut ,  linocut, 45 x 30 cm Ed. 14.

[harrycosmo]

Cinematography for Serenity, the Firefly movie, gave us so many great shots of Summer Glau, with raking light and shadows created by her hair.

Perhaps Jack Green, the Director of Photography, was as obsessed as I am.

[philamuseum]

Examining a painting with a light source positioned at a shallow angle to the picture plane, a viewing method called “raking light,” highlights surface textures and deformations in the paint and canvas. In this image, light positioned near the top edge of Renoir’s “The Great Bathers” shows the severe forward curve of cracking, especially in the two left figures. Research indicates that this cracking relates to areas most heavily re-worked by Renoir. The relative humidity-related expansion and contraction of materials applied on the back of the painting in the 1930’s (done in an effort to address the cracks) may have made them more prominent over time. This condition posed risks for further cracking in the future. Assuring the attachment of the paint along the cracks and returning the paint to a more level state were major goals of the recent conservation treatment. Follow along as we reveal new insights from the process of researching, analyzing, and conserving Renoir’s “The Great Bathers”, now on view in The Impressionist’s Eye. 

Jason Wierzbicki, Conservation Photographer, and Kristin Patterson, The Joan and John Thalheimer Associate Conservator of Paintings, photographing “The Great Bathers” in raking light

“The Great Bathers,” 1884–87, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, raking light view. 

[s2z]

Spring Sunrise by stuart murdoch Via Flickr: The fabulous morning spring light sweeps across the fence at the rear of our house. [2018-11-28 07:17:49]

[brooklynmuseum]

What do conservators do when a single artwork can be classified as both an object AND a painting? Take this 14th century manuscript book cover. It could be considered as both a decorative panel painting and a sacred object used as part of a religious practice. So then, how do we decide how it should be treated? Fortunately, at the Brooklyn Museum’s conservation lab, objects, paintings, frame, and paper conservators all work in close proximity, which enables easy cross-disciplinary collaboration. So when developing a treatment for these 12-13th-century Nepalese book covers, objects and paintings conservators also invite paper and book conservators to join the discussion.

Avid followers will recall that we aren’t strangers to such collaborations, since techniques that are common place for paintings conservators, are sometimes less familiar to us in object, and vice versa. One such technique used for examination and documentation that is commonly used by paintings conservators and less so by objects conservators is raking light photography. This method of photography, done by taking photos with a light source coming from one side at an oblique angle to the surface, is a technique used by painting and fresco conservators to better understand painting techniques and condition. These digital raking-light photographs highlight the complex topography of the Nepalese manuscript cover’s surface. Here, the texture of the wood substrate, the flaking paint and losses are much more clearly visible than in the photo taken under standard lighting conditions. Similarly, when examining surfaces under an optical light microscope, manipulating the light allows you to also achieve raking light photos at a microscopic level!

We are now moving forward to the treatment phase where we will continue to take advantage of more opportunities to learn from each other. We will keep you posted!

Posted by Sasha Drosdick

[stephengillette]

Found Abstraction : : 2026, California

[stephengillette]

The sunny side. California, 2018. Stay on it.