A display apparatus and method having a pair of substrates, a display area which has a plurality of pixels, a lighting device which includes a plurality of light sources, a scanning driver which outputs scanning signals to the plurality of pixels, and an image driver which outputs image signals to the plurality of pixels. The lighting device illuminates the display area, the image signals are inputted to the plurality of pixels respectively, and each of the plurality of pixels controls a transmittance of an incident light from the lighting device after the image signals are inputted to the plurality of pixels respectively. The lighting device lights the plurality of light sources corresponding to the image signals inputted to the plurality of pixels after each of the plurality of pixels controls the transmittance.