Estella documentary tonight on RTE 1
Estella, a documentary on the life and times of the painter and revolutionary Estella Solomons, is to be broadcast tonight 14th January at 10.10pm on RTE 1 as part of the Arts Lives series.Produced by Paradox Pictures, with the assistance of Bord Scannan na hEireann/Irish Film Board, in association with Radio Telefis Eireann/RTE and YLE TV 1, Finland, Estella documents the extraordinary life of Estella Solomons.
Estella was a Dublin socialite, a Jew, a painter and a political activist who became closely involved in the Easter Rising and the War of Independence.
Taught by William Orpen and Walter Osborne, exposed during trips to Paris and Amsterdam to the works of Rembrandt and supported by her family's rich cultural life, she began to exhibit her work soon after completing her studies and achieved early recognition for her work.
She also became caught up in the rising tide of Irish nationalism and her studio became almost an extension of the Dail itself during the years of rebellion and Civil War, and her sitters were a 'Who's Who' of the era's cultural and political heroes.
Estella was made with the support of Section 481 - the Irish Government tax incentive for film production and the MEDIA Programmes Distribution TV.