Rembrandt's 'Self Portrait at the Age of 63'

Art is good for you. Growing research shows that looking at a painting can improve your mood. But how can you get the most from the experience?  

For January’s ‘Picture of the month’, we take a closer look at Rembrandt's 'Self Portrait at the Age of 63’ with Gallery Educator, Karly Allen. We'll share how mindfulness approaches can help us connect with this thoughtful painting.

Take a closer look at the rest of his body

Looking at a painting can activate a part of the brain related to movement, giving us a greater awareness of our own physical presence.

Move your gaze from Rembrandt’s face and allow his chest and arms to emerge from the shadows. Notice how the fabric of his clothes is made to appear heavy through the clever use of light and dark, such as on his sleeve.

Although it’s not the first thing we notice, his outfit has a special meaning as it belongs to an earlier era than the one Rembrandt was living in. In fact, it’s the type of jacket that we see in artists’ portraits from the 1400s, long before Rembrandt painted this in 1669.

He chose to paint himself wearing it to show his connection to the artists who came before him.

Keep looking down the painting until you get to his hands, clasped close to his waist. Perhaps think about how you’re sitting now.

Step back and admire the painting as a whole

Art can give us a sense of purpose. This was especially the case for Rembrandt.

He painted around 80 self-portraits during his career, with his first being when he was 22-23 years old and his last, the one we are looking at now, when he was 63. Despite personal problems in later life, he remained dedicated to creativity.

In fact, Rembrandt’s late-career paintings are often admired as his finest: the accomplished artist at the height of his powers. Look at the painting as a whole. Notice how confident it feels.

Perhaps you can sense his determination to keep pushing forward with his art no matter what. Even with decades of work under his belt, he approached this painting with a sense of experimentation and curiosity.

Take a moment to think about how Rembrandt’s portrait shines a light on our own sense of purpose. What can it teach us at the start of the year, when we’re looking ahead and making plans?

Think about the work you can’t see

It’s easy to think that a genius like Rembrandt might have got his work as he would like the first time but this isn’t the case. Look closely at his hat, which was once much taller and appears to have been entirely white. Using broad strokes of background paint, he made it smaller to fit snugly on his head and coloured the upper part brown.

Return to his folded hands. Although we can’t see it now, X-rays reveal he initially showed himself holding a brush, then changed his mind. Think about why he might have done this and what that tells us about which parts of the painting he seems to want us to focus on.  Perhaps meditate on the desire to keep improving that underlines his decisions to make changes.