Here are some guidelines for displaying your art. * Appropriate sized, sturdy hardware should be used when hanging any painting. Wall hooks should be driven into wall studs for maximum stability. Large, heavy paintings should also have the proper wall anchor. Consider mounting a bracket under a large painting to help support its weight.
* Paintings may be suspended on a metal hook secured to the frame or from the appropriate weight picture wire.
* The end of the wire should be secured so that it does not poke into the back of the canvas. Aging dries and weakens the canvas fabric; any loose wire could push its way forward, pushing into the back of the canvas until eventually a bulge forms on the front of the painting (Sacher & LaGasa, p. 19).
* All the mechanical items - moulding hangers, picture hooks, wires - all the metal and fabric devices whereby your painting is held in place, even if they are the best quality, should be periodically checked. Hooks come out of plaster, screws come out of wood, and wire wears.
* The center of your painting should be hung at the sightline of the average person, which is about 60 inches (152 cm).
* The minimum distance from the top of a piece of furniture to the bottom edge of the painting is eight inches (20 cm) (Sacher & LaGasa, p. 19).
* The ideal distance between paintings is three to six inches (7.6 cm to 15 cm).
* Avoid hanging your painting above sources of heat. "A painting above a heat source will experience far more grime than is normal for the rest of the room. Heat sources can also soften paint. Dirt and debris are easily trapped in the softened paint and varnish. It is not advised to hang paintings over fireplaces. In addition to the damage caused by the radiating heat, soot and smoke damage will permanently darken and alter the tone of the paintings (Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute, n.d.).
* Experiment with hanging your painting upside down for a new look.
* Keep in mind the effect of the surrounding intensity of colour of walls on your painting. "The intensity of surrounding areas [of a painting] affects the perception of brightness" (Gordon, 2003, pg. 8). Thus, your painting will look brighter if the wall upon which your painting hangs is darker than the painting.
* Also keep in mind the effect of the surrounding colour of walls on your painting. Colours in your painting will change depending on the colour of the wall upon which your painting hangs (Chevreul, 1855. pg. 23).
REFERENCES Chevreul, M. E. (1855). The principles of harmony and contrast of colours (2nd ed.). (C. Martel, Trans.). London, England: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/principlesharmo00martgoog
Gordon, G. (2003). Interior lighting for designers. (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Sacher, J., & LaGasa, S. (2013). How to hang a picture. New York, NY: St. Martin's Griffin.