Mr. President, there's electromagnetic radiation threatening paintings everywhere

One day he declares war on Iraq, the next he's painting puppies! Who could this be other than former President, George Bush!

Face of America everybody!

His paintings may get more attention than his political policies did...

Well don't worry, I'm not writing an entire blog post on Bush's new hobby, but at least he found a new one to replace the old one, declaring war. But this post actually is about paintings! A problem threatening all famous paintings is the risk of faded paint! This is why you see those signs "please no pictures" in museums! 

So in simple terms, here is my explanation. Dyes are made up of chromophores which absorb light and produce the colors we see. Electromagnetic radiation is expressed in different wavelengths, and one of the most harmful of these wavelengths are UV rays. UV rays change the chemical bonds within these dyes changing the amount of light absorbed and thus the color. More information is included here: http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/colors.html

If UV rays have this effect on paintings, it's scary to think what they'd do to people! Never getting in a tanning bed... 

Now if you're thinking "Why don't they just put the paintings in a room without light?" well then I'm sorry to inform you that you have to reevaluate your life.