Good question and I would imagine that most of you would say "No. The art lies on the canvas, not how it is put on the wall." But if you gave your collection of artwork to several different people to hang in the same space, you would be amazed at the difference in the end result based on the creativeness and artistic flair of the person hanging it.
So, if you appreciate fine art, but have found yourself thus far unable to maximise on its aesthetic appeal, then maybe you might consider the possibility that picture hanging really is an art form in itself.
Don't be disheartened though, as it is definitely something that can be learned and with the right tools at hand you will be able to create in your own home, a lasting impression on all of those who have the opportunity to view your art pieces.
There are a few key areas you will need to research if you want to really master the skills of art hanging.
Curation
First and foremost is the curation of your collection.
This means, how you are going to group and place your pictures to create the maximum impact. When you see art collections in magazines or in galleries, it seems that a group of art pieces have just been thrown together and then stuck on a walls. You would be amazed however at the amount of thought and organization that has gone in to the process making the collection appear this way.Grouping
The key things you will need to consider here are:
• Are you going to group your pictures based on the colour of the items themselves or the colour of the frames?
• What are the shapes of the pictures ie. are they square, round, rectangular?
• How well do those shapes group together.
• Are you going to group them based on content? For example, portraits, landscapes or photographs.
Placement
Once you have determined how you are going to group your artwork, you will then need to consider carefully at what height your pictures should be placed.
It is said that just above eye level is a good height, but who's eye level? And then if you have a collection, not all of them can be at eye level. Some will have to be higher and some lower. The general rule of thumb here is the key piece sits at eye level and the others radiate out from here.Hanging System
Once you have decided on the grouping and the placement, you will need to consider by which method you wish to hang your collection. Direct fixing is where hooks or hangers are fixed directly to the wall surface behind the individual pictures. This can get messy if you have several pieces of art in the one grouping. The most popular method is using a clip rail system. A clip rail system is a slender, stream lined rail which is fixed directly to the wall on hidden brackets, just below the ceiling line. Hooks and hangers are then clipped in to the rail and slide both vertically and horizontally to allow for perfect positioning of all of your pieces without damaging your wall surfaces.
Although it may seem a little daunting, amazingly all of these things can be learnt. There is a wealth of knowledge out there which if you can tap in to it, will provide you with all the necessary information you need to create a gallery standard display in your own home. Don't recreate the wheel and do it the hard way, learn from those who have gone before you and do it in half the time.
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