Male of Sorrows #5

Barbara RossiWW-1970-016374

1970·Color etching and aquatint on white wove paper

<p>From a series entitled <em>Male of Sorrows</em>, this print is based on a 15th-century color woodcut in the Art Institute’s collection depicting the crucified Jesus Christ (1947.731). To create this image Rossi combined selectively wiped color etching with aquatint, recalling the elaborate coloring of Mary Cassatt’s prints of the late 19th century. Rossi studied these prints in the Print and Drawing Study Center while earning her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1971 Rossi took a teaching position at the school, a post she held until she retired in 2016.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1970
Medium: Color etching and aquatint on white wove paper
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Barbara Rossi

Artist

Barbara Rossi

Printmaking

Barbara Rossi was an American artist known for intricate linear drawings and prints that combined geometric precision with organic, biomorphic forms. Working primarily in ink and etching throughout her career, she developed a distinctive visual language that bridged abstraction and figuration, often incorporating serial repetition and layered mark-making. Her practice engaged with postwar developments in printmaking and drawing as primary media rather than preliminary stages.

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