From the Film Maker...

I assumed the woman in the painting was a widow because she was dressed all in black. However, she seemed to me to have a slightly cheeky expression and certainly didn’t look like a woman in mourning. I discovered that at the time black lace was actually the height of fashion for young wealthy women. I built up a picture of her – she was rich, she liked to go out and have a good time, she was fashionable. This reminded me of modern day ’It’ girls such as Paris Hilton and this was the basis for my animation.

In my animation, Isabel is a young, wealthy socialite obsessed with fashion and having a good time. She does a spot of modelling on the side and is at home on a fashion shoot. She has an inflated idea of her own importance and fills her day with what she considers to be vitally important things: shopping, partying, being pampered and generally living the high life. When, one night, she has a little too much to drink and thumps someone, she ends up having a different sort of photo taken.

I chose the painting because I liked the way Doña Isabel seemed to have such a modern personality. I tried to work with this and make the painting seem more relevant to today’s audience.
Eleanor Reed