Stairwell Sidelight

The outside stairwell walls of my apartment are plain and not particularly noteworthy, but closer inspection reveals that the stucco has a random textured feel, and the white paint seems to shout out every smudge and mark. However what caught my eye was the way the stairwell lights affect the appearance of these walls. The lights mounted onto the wall sidelight the stucco casting long shadows along the wall. These dark ripples make the wall look old, worn, and even dirtier; but the light shines directly onto the wall opposite the stair and there are almost no shadows. The bright light seems to erase the marks and smudges and the white wall looks almost clean.