I feel better every time I remember to dim the lights in my dining room and light candles before we sit down to eat. I wouldn’t go as far as saying the experience is magical, but it is calming. Maybe I love the primitive or primary form of light or memories of summertime campfires or my mother’s candlesticks, the only personal item she brought from the ​“old country.” They happily live in our daughter’s house. 

A hundred years ago, as an art student, I was introduced to the paintings of George de La Tour, the seventeenth century French Baroque artist who painted scenes that were lit by candlelight. The painting created a focus on the subject that allowed the viewer time to think about what was going on in the painting. Also, as a student, I had the good fortune to have Ad Reinhardt, the minimalist painter, as a teacher. He had us paint a still-life by candlelight, and we got to see into the dark. There are many, many good reasons for lighting a candle.