Male of Sorrows #5

From a series entitled Male of Sorrows, 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.