Rembrandt painted around 80 self-portraits during his career, with his first being when he was 22-23 years old and this last one, when he was 63.

Rembrandt is well-known for his realism and for his ability to depict different textures.

Commencing with his face, the group studied how he had made it the focal point by using light to make it stand out from the dark background. In addition, he sought to achieve a sense of depth by applying paints of various thicknesses.

Looking closely at his hat, Sharan explained that once it had been much taller and appears to have been entirely white. We cannot see it now, but X-rays reveal he initially showed himself holding a brush.

Image source and licence

Rembrandt's 'Self Portrait at the Age of 63' was chosen by Sharan as the Artwork of the Month.

For more information on the painting, go to the National Gallery

Elizabeth Clarkson gave an excellent presentation on the work of David Hockney, which generated much discussion between members.

If you want to learn more about David Hockney, there are a couple of very good videos produced by the BBC. One of them can be accessed here