Dear Readers:
A lovely woman recently asked me for some tips on hanging pictures. I told her a condensed version of what I tell my students, and what I’ll share with you. There are some obvious guidelines such as hanging large pieces of artwork on large walls and smaller pieces on smaller walls. There is a little more to it, however.
If you are lucky enough to have a gallery wall, you have the luxury of hanging a painting at eye level, which allows the viewer to "disappear" into the painting. Most people, however, just want to accessorize a room with something pleasing on their walls. Unfortunately, paintings are not meant to replace wallpaper. By that I mean their purpose is not simply to fill up space on a wall. Artwork should be placed judiciously.
The foremost purpose of a painting is to highlight the artist’s work. Its secondary purpose is to complement the grouping of furniture below it. I think we all get the first part, but I know from experience that very few people understand the concept of working with the furniture beneath the artwork.
Valuable artwork should have pride of place. Lesser works can be thought of as part of the composition that a piece of furniture and its accessories make. Most people hang artwork too high. Paintings should be low enough (yes, sometimes even sitting on furniture) to seem to belong to that little vignette. The viewer’s eye should circle around the arrangement created by the furniture and the artwork. Leaving empty space in the room (and therefore on the wall) between these groupings is okay, and helps to give them more impact. There are some exceptions, but these are usually space related and have to be judged on a case-by-case basis.
As for the colors in paintings matching your décor, in a word: “Don’t”! This is art. Please don’t buy a bunch of meaningless pictures in a particular color palette as though you were decorating a motel room. Take your time. Buy what you love. You will find a place for each piece of art and conversely, you will find the perfect picture for each furniture grouping eventually.
M.A.K.
