This is an etching and aquatint by American artist Letterio 'Leo' Calapai. This is number 5 from the Suite: Seven Last Words of Christ titled I Thirst. This is Calapai's artist interpretation of the seven utterances of Jesus on the cross compiled from the different gospel accounts of the crucifixion. Calapai created and published these two color aquatints on Michelangelo cream laid paper in 1953-54. The first edition was a very small run, just 25 prints. Calapai used the language of abstract expressionism to capture the essence of the words. In this case, I thirst includes blue as one of the two colors, presumably for its association with water. Ironically of course, Jesus was then offered sour wine (or vinegar) on a sponge. While there is no easily identifiable imagery, there does seem to be the hint of a central figure that is seemingly being menaced or deconstructed by swirling patterns of dark and light. The piece effectively conveys the agony being experienced by someone being crucified. A very powerful piece. The piece is in very good condition.
Letterio Calapai (1901-1993)
Letterio ‘Leo’ Calapai was a prolific American artist who worked in multiple media and had a long career spanning much of the 20th century. Born and raised in Boston, his initial artistic studies were completed at the Massachusetts Normal Art School followed by two years on scholarship at the School of Fine Arts and Crafts in Boston. After completing his studies there he furthered his art education in New York City where he studied sculpture, figure drawing, and even fresco painting. His talent was quickly recognized and he had his first solo exhibit at the Art Center in New York City in 1933. In the 1930s he received support from the WPA including at least one commission. Despite artistic training that did not focus on printmaking, he began working at the famous Atelier 17 with William Stanley Hayter in the immediate aftermath of World War II. He became an accomplished printmaker and became Hayter’s assistant. With Hayter’s recommendation he was hired by the Albright Art School (now University of Buffalo) to establish the printmaking department. He chaired the department for 6 years. He moved back to New York upon receiving a Tiffany Foundation grant which he used to establish the Intaglio Workshop for Advanced Printmaking in Greenwich Village. He taught at several Universities in the New York area (not always focused on art), then moved to Illinois where he continued to teach. Calapai is associated with the realists, probably based on his early work with the WPA and an extensive collaboration as an illustrator with authors of works exploring social philosophy and religion. His graphic work tends more towards the abstract and shows the influence of Hayter and other artists working at Atelier 17. His work is held in most important collections in the United States and abroad, most notably the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago, both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Library of Congress, and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the British Museum, a Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris, the National Bezalel Museum, Jerusalem, and the Sydney Art Museum, Australia.