Portrait of Lady Cristina Hasting

This work, a careful pencil drawing, captures the aristocratic sophistication of Lady Cristina Hastings. Born in Milan and educated in Oxford, Cristina Hastings was the wife of Lord John Hastings, who had gone to San Francisco as an unpaid assistant to Diego Rivera, to work on the execution of the murals in the Stock Exchange building.
Frida was intrigued by the personality of her subject, whom she saw as someone who oscillated between moods of boredom, explosive anger, and humor, to the painter’s amusement.