Tragic heros and heroines past are brought to life in this exhibition of work by third-year BFA Cartooning and BFA Illustration students. Curated by Thomas Woodruff, chair of both departments, the exhibition is on view April 12 through April 26 at the SVA Chelsea Gallery, 601 West 26th Street, 15th floor, New York City.

Students in this exhibition are asked to research the theme of the tragic hero or heroine, a longtime tradition in storytelling, beginning with the expulsion from paradise. The basic parameters of the project are that the reference material must be fiction and the work must incorporate text written by a famous author.

“What do Peter Pan, Hamlet, Gatsby and Holly Golightly all have in common?” Woodruff asks. “They are all characters that are part of ‘Beautiful Losers.’ Other lively yet esoteric projects include: an animated work inspired by Alan Resnais’ Last Year at Marienbad, a manga-influenced comic of Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice, illustrations of the characters in the Last Chance Saloon from Eugene O’Neill’s classic The Iceman Cometh, as well as many other clever and insightful solutions to the theme.”

With a commitment to excellence dating back to SVA’s founding in 1947, BFA Cartooning helps students develop a point of view and an individual voice as they master the rudiments of line, color and form in a wide range of media. Studies of art history and world cultures are paired with painting, drawing, storytelling and pictorial problem solving, culminating in the production of a portfolio of original work that presents each student's distinct sensibility. Comic books, graphic novels, children's books, editorial cartoons, theatrical posters, figurative art exhibitions, film and television credits and production designs—all are powerful vehicles for artists' inner worlds and meaningful contributions to a public forum. At SVA, cartooning students are prepared to lead the way.

BFA Illustration cultivates expert individual voices that are sustained by a high degree of craft, with a curriculum designed to spark the imagination as well as teach the art of interpretation: the ability to carefully read and cross-reference texts, research visual styles and conceptualize and produce significant bodies of work. As they progress through the program, assignments become increasingly professional in nature and reflect the diversity of the illustration marketplace, from media, entertainment and publishing to fashion and toy design, among other fields. Students develop sophisticated, multifaceted portfolios and participate in industry-sponsored competitions, which provide valuable exposure and networking opportunities.

Exhibition

Beautiful Losers

SVA Chelsea Gallery

Reception