The light in Mallorca – a phenomenon
For decades, the special light on Mallorca has not only impressed locals and tourists, but has been a source of inspiration for artists, film directors and photographers. It is questionable whether this phenomenon can be substantiated or even scientifically explained.
First, we should explain what exactly is meant by “light”. Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation that is described using various models from physics: Ray Optics, Wave Optics or Quantum Physics. According to the latter, it consists of light particles- photons.
Light is essential for life on earth, because plants transform light energy into chemically bound energy by photosynthesis. This serves as food for all other living things. Natural daylight – the light from the sun filtered through the earth’s atmosphere – also has a major impact on the human organism and its health: a lack of light affects our hormones and neurotransmitters, causing fatigue and a dull mood. This is one of the most common reasons why many northern Europeans escape the short days of the winter months to catch the sunshine in Mallorca.
According to the chief meteorologist María José Guerrero of the Spanish meteorological service Aemet in an interview with Mallorca newspaper, the meteorological reason for the special light of the island is a matter of visibility. These are, in her opinion, particularly good in Mallorca, because everything appears very clear, very bright and more colorful than in other places, especially compared to northern and central Europe. Light intensity is perceived by the eye as brightness, while the spectral composition of the light stimulus is perceived as color.
In comparison
In Germany, for example, there are often situations where visibility is limited due to frequent precipitation and overcast skies. As a result, there would simply be less light. “And the number of hours in which it is light is lower than in the Mediterranean,” Guerrero told Mallorca newspaper. On the island, he added, there is also less pollution in general, since the industrial centers are far away.
The light in Mallorca is a dream for painters and photographers. The month of November is considered the month with the most beautiful sunsets and the best light.
This natural experience on the island was also sought by painters, who at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century provided a “golden era” of landscape painting. Especially the Catalans Santiago Rusiñol and Joaquim Mir discovered a completely different light on Mallorca, especially in the Serra de Tramuntana, and were fascinated by it.
Many painters are inspired precisely because of the characteristic light of Mallorca, because of the bright colors, especially from the combination of mountains, sea and light.
Mallorca is increasingly, because of the light and the beauty of nature, also chosen by many film directors and screenwriters as a location for series and films. Just recently, a new series with Hollywood star Nicole Kidman was shot for weeks in Mallorca.
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