The Monza Method Turns 20

By Randy Reid with Parker Allen

For two decades, the Monza Method has been a game-changer in lighting design. While Monza is famous worldwide for Formula 1 racing, lighting designers know the city for the Method's discovery.

During Salone del Mobile.Milano’s Euroluce in Milan last month, I had the pleasure of interviewing the Method's discoverers, Francesco Iannone and Serena Tellini of Consuline Milan. They explained how it all began…as an accident.

The Monza Method was born when Francesco and Serena were commissioned to design the lighting for the Museum and Treasure of the Cathedral of Monza.

Both were working there in 2003 for the lighting restoration with Osram, focusing on the chapels dedicated to Queen Theodolinda. Initially, they specified a certain luminaire for this work. However, when their assistants arrived, they found themselves with completely different luminaires from those imagined. They were a mixture of wattages, beam angles, and spectral distributions. Despite the mistake, something incredible happened.

Francesco explained that they noticed something that wasn't visible previously when they turned on the fixtures. They could not believe what they were seeing; they switched the power on and off but still had the same result. The mistake, Serena added, highlighted details in the painting that became much more evident than expected. The addition of the "light mixture" greatly enhanced the features of the painting.

Both Serena and Francesco knew they were dealing with an unknown phenomenon which they discussed with university scholars in Malaysia, Singapore and Nanyang. Francesco was reminded that the brain expects light to be firm, fixed, single, and uniform.

When light is produced with incorrect color temperature and intensity, it can cause distortion to the brain's perception. This can lead to the human eye increasing its focus automatically. "At this moment, the brain almost panics for a few seconds as it does not comprehend, because the vision is not perfect. Then the brain adjusts, adapts, and in this case, rebuilds the painting and recognizes what you have in front of you. Once the brain has rebuilt the image, serotonin is released, and the brain is quite proud of itself," said Francesco.

“The Monza Method,” Serena added, “is focused on the relationship between color and human perception. By mixing light sources with different spectral curves at different angles and intensity, the perception of certain pigments is emphasized.”

After the discovery, Serena and Francesco began speaking at conferences such as ELDA and PLDC. They then began organizing seminars worldwide, including two large exhibitions on Giovanni Bellini and Lorenzo Lotto in Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome.

Giovanni Bellini exhibition

Photo: Francesco Iannone

Lorenzo Lotto exhibition

Photo: Alfredo Cacciani

One project in Rome, recently completed, is the frescoes painted by Annibale Carracci in Palazzo Farnese.

Annibale Carracci, Palazzo Farnese, Roma Ph.Vandeville

Photo: Francesco Iannone

The third exhibition showcased Tiziano and included a room at the end that compared the Monza Method to traditional lighting. The results were conclusive, and the public preferred the Monza Method. Within three months, there were about 300,000 visitors to the exhibition; approximately 25,680 participated in the 20-minute test.

1512-16, Tiziano, "Madonna and Child with Catherine e Dominic e Donor," Oil on canvas, 138 x 185 cm, Magnani Rocca

Drawing by Francesco Iannone

The results were presented at 2013 Copenhagen PLDC conference. When observing the bell tower, 72% reported better detail clarity when using LEDs compared to halogen. For the background, 44% perceived as farther away when using LED while 41% held the same perception using halogen. A larger percentage – 56% – noticed a wider range of colors with LED, whereas only 34% reported the same with halogen. For the painting's overall appeal, 48% found it more captivating under halogen, compared to 42% under LED.

In 2017, the Art History Museum in Vienna hosted a practical lighting workshop, “Immersive Art”, on the Monza Method. Lighting designers from around the world attended. Zumtobel donated the luminaires for the event.

1. One spotlight (Zumtobel SUPERSYSTEM II midi, 34° beam angle, 3000K) focused on the bottom left.

2. One spotlight (Zumtobel SUPERSYSTEM II midi, 20° beam angle, 4000K) focused on the top right.

3. A combination of situations 1 and 2.

4. The situation in 3 with an additional blue filter on the 4000K spotlight. Concept developed by Nelson Jiang and Dario Maccheroni.

Consuline implemented the Monza Method most recently in November 2022 to enhance the exhibition titled "The Colours of Faith in Venice: Tiziano, Veronese, Tintoretto" at the Complesso Monumentale di San Francesco in Cuneo.

“The Colours of Faith in Venice: Tiziano, Veronese, Tintoretto” exhibition at the Complesso Monumentale di San Francesco in Cuneo.

Photo: Francesco Iannone

Monza Method's discovery was a happy accident that changed the profession. Francesco and Serena's persistence in sharing their discovery at events worldwide helped establish the Method's popularity. Two decades on, it continues to inspire and influence lighting designers worldwide. ■