A painter who doesn't need to step back to look at his finished work is Herr Erlemann, of Recklinghausen, in the industrial Ruhr of Germany.

His miniature paintings, produced in the studio at his home, are probably the smallest in the world; so small that one of them will go on a pin head.

For this work Herr Erlemann has developed an individual technique, using a mounted magnifying glass and the finest possible brushes. Some of his brushes have only one specially selected bristle.

Among the many notable subjects Herr Erlemann has painted are Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Anthony Aden, the former British Prime Minister, and Pope Pius XII.