From The Editor | January 14, 2025

Beyond The Canvas: Optical Technologies In Art And Museums

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By John Oncea, Editor

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Optical technologies are used in telecommunications, data storage, imaging and vision systems, medicine, industry, and electronics. They are also used to create and display art. Here’s how.

Back in college, I took an art appreciation class. I remember Doric and Ionic columns, both types of classical columns that are often found in ancient Greek architecture. And I remember being introduced to Picasso’s 1937 anti-war masterpiece Guernica.

And … well, that’s it. In my defense, it was a long time ago.

Anyway, my friend took the same class as me and we got so into art we decided to leave town hours early on Monday, July 15, 1985, to check out the Cleveland Museum of Art before attending a Robert Plant concert later that day.

Unbeknownst to us, the Cleveland Museum of Art wasn’t (and still isn’t) open on Mondays. So, we spent the morning playing frisbee at a local park and much of the rest of the day sitting in the Coliseum parking lot waiting for the doors to open. And it was worth it! Plant played all his hits and even a bunch of Honeydrippers’ songs including Rockin’ at Midnight.

So even though I never got inside the Cleveland Museum of Art that day I have been fortunate to have been able to visit there later in life, as well as to have other museums in Cleveland, as well as in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Erie, and more.

I’ve taken you with me on my trip down memory lane to introduce the subject of how optics are used in art and art museums. And, if the guy who tried to convince us to sneak into the arena with him to check out the sound check that July day 40 years ago – I hope you got away with it.

Using Optical Technologies To Create Art

Optics technologies have played a significant role in the creation of art, dating as far back as 1425 when optical projections were used by European painters Jan van Eyck and Robert Campin in Flanders c1425, Bartholome Bermejo in Spain c1474, Hans Holbein in England c1530, and Caravaggio in Italy c1600, to name a few.

Optical projections, according to The University of Arizona’s Wyant College of Optical Sciences, are images that are projected using light sources, such as the sun or candle flames. Artists have used optical projections to create images that are life-size and reproduce complex details, such as optical art, a style of art that uses optical illusions to create images that appear to move or blur.

Other examples include optical illusions which are images that trick the viewer into seeing something that isn't there, and op art techniques in which artists use colors, shapes, and patterns to create images that make the viewer see movement, flashing, or warping.

In the 15th century, a significant development in the use of optics in art occurred where artists, particularly during the early Renaissance, are theorized to have started using optical devices like lenses and mirrors to achieve a heightened level of realism in their paintings by projecting images onto their canvases, marking a shift toward more detailed and accurate depictions of subjects.

According to Stencil Girl Talk, this technique is today most notably associated with artist David Hockney, who proposed that this practice explains the “photographic quality” seen in some Renaissance paintings. These techniques enabled artists to capture the details and perspective of a scene more precisely, leading to a dramatic increase in the realism of their paintings.

The invention of photography in the 19th century introduced a new art form and influenced other artistic disciplines. Photographers use lenses, apertures, and light manipulation to create compositions. This inspired painters like the Impressionists to explore new ways of depicting light and movement.

Tools like the camera obscura and camera lucida, writes NeoLucida, allowed artists to project scenes onto surfaces, enabling them to trace complex details and achieve more accurate perspective. Curved glasses and lenses helped artists magnify and focus on specific parts of a scene, allowing for greater precision in rendering minute details.

There are techniques like photograms, which involve exposing light-sensitive paper directly to light, a direct intersection of optics and artistic experimentation. In addition, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and projection mapping rely heavily on optics with artists using these tools to create interactive and immersive experiences, blending the physical and digital worlds.

One very recent technique involves optical microscopes and other imaging technologies being used by artists to explore microscopic worlds, translating scientific imagery into art, leading to bio-art and other interdisciplinary fields combining art and science.

SPIE writes modern artists such as Sarah Hall are integrating solar cells and specially formulated resins in glass installations to create unique light effects and explore renewable energy concepts, while Pearl John uses laser technology to create holograms, combining art with photonics to produce three-dimensional visual effects.

And, while not the creation of art, researchers like David Stork are employing computer image analysis and pattern recognition to study famous artworks, gaining insights into artists’ techniques and processes.

These optical technologies have aided artists in creating more realistic representations and inspired new forms of artistic expression and exploration. While such tools have sometimes been controversial in the art world, they have undeniably contributed to the evolution of artistic techniques and styles over the centuries.

Art Inspired By Light

OPTICA reported on eight artists inspired by light including Olafur Eliasson, Yasuhiro Chida, Bruce Munro, Karolina Halatek, Shuster + Moseley, Sir Anish Kapoor, Jacqueline Hen, and Daan Roosegaarde. Describing their art would be a disservice. Do yourself a favor – hit the links and prepare to be amazed.

How Art Museums Use Optical Technologies

Art museums employ a variety of optical technologies to analyze, restore, enhance, and display art, revolutionizing the way we experience and understand artistic works. By incorporating these optical technologies, art museums are transforming into innovative spaces that offer interactive, educational, and immersive experiences, making art more accessible and engaging for diverse audiences.

When analyzing and restoring art, museums use sophisticated 3D scanning technology to create extremely precise reproductions of artworks, capturing detailed textures of brushstrokes and colors. According to Arts Management & Technology Laboratory, this technology aids in the analysis and preservation of delicate pieces.

Museum researchers also use computer vision analysis and pattern recognition to study famous artworks, gaining insights into artists’ techniques and processes. Among the optical tools being used to accomplish this are:

  • Microscopes: Used to examine small samples of pigment from paintings 
  • Scanning electron microscopes: Used to examine samples at higher magnification 
  • X-ray fluorescence and radiography: Used to gather elemental data 
  • Raman spectroscopy: Used to identify pigments, especially modern synthetic dyes 
  • Computer vision tools: Used to extract data about an object's color, partitions, and histogram data 
  • Optical character recognition: Used to extract text from objects, such as written documents 

Art restoration also relies on ultra-high-quality digital photographs to monitor the state of art conservation before and after restoration.

Museums are, writes MuseumNext, increasingly using AR to enrich exhibits by overlaying digital content onto physical artifacts. Examples include:

Projection mapping is also being used to help curators work with collections in a non-destructive way and improve visitor engagement by creating interactive and immersive activities in gallery spaces. Other technologies being used to achieve these results include:

  • 3D scanners: Used to capture an object’s exact shape and size as a digital 3D file 
  • Gigapixel images: Used to improve the fruition of paintings by allowing users to zoom in on details that are not visible to the naked eye 
  • Laser projectors and ULS mirrors: Used to project art onto walls or exhibit it on surfaces 

Finally, optical technologies are helping museums provide better accessibility and education to their patrons. The Louvre, for one, used 3D scanning and printing to create tactile reproductions of artworks for visually impaired visitors, allowing them to experience art through touch, and some museums use beacons to send location-based content to visitors' smartphones, providing additional information about nearby artworks or exhibitions.

Finally, Optical Filters

Optical filters, particularly dichroic filters, are used in art installations to create mesmerizing visual effects and manipulate light in innovative ways. According to et cetera, these filters can transform ordinary spaces into captivating works of art by controlling the wavelengths of light that pass through or are reflected.

One of the outcomes of using optical filters is color manipulation. Colored filters can cast specific hues over a space or an object, altering its appearance and mood. This is often used to create a surreal or dreamlike atmosphere. In addition, dichroic filters can split light into its spectral components, producing vibrant, ever-changing colors based on the viewer’s position or the angle of the light source.

Filters also provide the ability to direct and control the intensity of light. For instance, neutral density filters reduce the intensity of light without altering its color, allowing precise control over the brightness of illuminated areas while polarizing filters control reflections and glare, which can be useful in installations where shiny or reflective surfaces are used.

When an artist wants to project patterns, textures, or abstract visuals to enhance the narrative of their work they can use filters paired with projectors or spotlights to shape, diffuse, or color the light beams. They also can create immersive environments using filters combined with programmable lighting systems to allow for gradual or dramatic color changes, creating a dynamic environment. Beyond that, overlaying multiple filters can create complex color interactions and shifting effects as viewers move through the space.

Filters can be used with interactive elements, like motion sensors or sound-activated lighting, to change colors or patterns in response to audience movement or input. Diffusion and prismatic filters can be used to alter perception by softening light, blurring boundaries, and creating kaleidoscopic or rainbow effects, respectively.

Optical technologies are used in art and art installations to manipulate the color and quality of light, creating unique visual effects by selectively transmitting specific wavelengths of light, allowing artists to highlight certain colors, alter the appearance of objects, and even create interactive experiences that change depending on the viewer’s perspective.

Filters can be used to control the intensity and direction of light, creating dramatic lighting effects, or highlighting specific areas of an artwork and, when combined with light sources, can create interactive installations where viewers’ movements change the colors or patterns they see.