Mark Twain’s War Prayer

Join Seymour Chwast and Steven Heller in conversation about Mark Twain’s War Prayer, a lambasting of phony, war-mongering patriotism reinterpreted by one of our finest contemporary illustrators, Seymour Chwast. 

Written in 1910 in his 70th year, Mark Twain, having lived through fourteen wars waged just by his own country on others, declined to publish this poetic despairing reproof against patriotism. His regular illustrator Daniel Beard even urged Twain to issue the piece, to which the author replied, “No, I have told the whole truth in that, and only dead men can tell the truth in this world. It can be published after I am dead.”

It took 13 years after his passing for that prophecy to be fulfilled — and now, another 102 years later, the legendary illustrator and graphic designer Seymour Chwast (himself 92 years young) has fulfilled Beard’s dream of enriching the fable with illustration. Chwast brings every aspect of his skills to this interpretation: drawing, design, typography, type design, pastel painting and computer color all sit alongside each other with Twain’s text in pages that expand and pace the original. With another century and a quarter of warfare passed since its writing, Chwast’s artwork echoes advances in technology but Twain’s message about the pointlessness of patriotism as a marketing hook for death is only more pointed today.

Seymour Chwast (b. 1931, The Bronx, New York City) is one of the most highly-regarded graphic designers in American history. He has executed hundreds of advertising campaigns, designed multiple popular typefaces, illustrated or been the subject of dozens of books, and created several children’s’ books of his own. Referred to as “the left-handed designer,” he has worked social commentary into his design for decades, including through his biannual journal The Nose. Chwast founded the design group Push Pin Studios with Milton Glaser, Edward Sorel, and Reynold Ruffins in 1954, and continues to head and work via the company at age 92.

Steven Heller (pronounced Hell-ehr) is celebrating 25 years as co-founder and co-chair of the SVA MFA Design program. For 33 years he was an art director at the NYTimes OpEd page and Book Review. He is the author, co-author and/or editor of over 200 books on design and satire/illustration and involved as a writer on 150 others. He wrote for the New York Times OpEd, Week in Review, Book Review and Obituary desks.  A contributing editor to a dozen design and culture magazines, he writes The Daily Heller for Printmag.com. Although he holds no graduate degrees from any reputable college, he is the recipient of two honorary Ph.Ds and is empowered to perform weddings by the Universal Light Church.

This event will take place in the Main Gallery. Bathrooms are only accessible via stairs.

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