The Unborn Child, much like the similar Grief painting, was painted at a difficult time in Christine’s life. I think she drew on the emotions of a recent breakup with her boyfriend, as well as her own miscarriage many years earlier.

To me, the most interesting aspect of this painting is the use of the averted gaze that adds an emotional distance and causes the viewer to use their imagination more than they would with the more personal direct gaze of her regular commissioned portraits. Added to this, of course, is the moist look in her eyes, as well as the self-comforting pose of clutching the scarf around herself.