From the film-maker:

When I began this project I struggled to find a painting I could connect with. I had considered three or four paintings when I happened upon this one. I found it quite a curious painting, with a strange composition and full of eccentric objects. Immediately my eye was drawn to the massive empty chair that dominates the painting, strongly implying the presence of Henri Rouart (Hélène's father) and creating a barrier between the figure of Hélène and the viewer. For me this portrait describes Henri Rouart as much it describes Hélène. I decided to create an animation about their relationship with the study as the backdrop. After researching the painting and the Rouart family I developed a story that centres on Hélène as a young girl. Her character is fascinated by her father's study and all the objects he has collected from around the world.

Rachel Thorn

A piece inspired by Hilaire-Germain-Edgar Degas, Hélène Rouart in her Father's Study, about 1886