Male of Sorrows, #5

One of a series of “Male of Sorrows” intaglio prints made between 1970‒1972, the image is based on Man of Sorrows, a 15^th century color woodcut at the Art Institute of Chicago, which is an archetypal image of extreme pain embodied by the figure of Jesus Christ. This etching combines different plate and print techniques (applications of colored inks) illustrating Barbara Rossi’s early technical virtuosity. Her approach is as personal and adventurous as that of her teacher Vera Berdich (1915‒2003) who pushed the expressive limits of the medium and encouraged her students to do the same. (Interestingly, Rossi printed at least one version of Male of Sorrows on a satin comforter.)

This series spans the completion of her M.F.A. and the beginning of her tenure on the faculty of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she printed the proofs and the edition. Concurrently, Rossi participated in the group exhibitions Marriage Chicago Style (1970) and Chicago Antigua (1971) at the Hyde Park Art Center that included Sarah Canright, Edward Flood, Ed Paschke, Suellen Rocca, and Karl Wirsum. (See Smart Museum 2001.597, 2001.693.) Similar in spirit to the antic Hairy Who exhibitions (1966‒1968) at the Hyde Park Art Center, they were an important source of camaraderie and artistic exchange for Rossi.