Pulitzer Prize winner Steve Breen art exhibit open at PLNU 

Authors: Charis Johnston and Tessa Balc

Political cartoons featuring caricatures of Valdmir Putin, Joe Biden and Donald Trump were tacked to the walls of Point Loma Nazarene University’s Keller Gallery for the opening of Steve Breen’s “Drawing the Line” exhibit on Nov. 4.

A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Breen has been a full-time editorial cartoonist for 28 years with his work appearing on the national stage in the the New York Times, USA Today and Newsweek. He has spent the majority of his career at the San Diego Union Tribune, but in 2023 moved to the nonprofit, San Diego-based news website, inewsource. 

Process

Breen said that most of the time, the message of his cartoon comes to him before the image. He said that he reads a lot of news, scanning it to narrow the biggest stories down to the three or four that he wants to comment on. 

“I see myself as a dean of supervision at high school, and when people step out of line, I give them a detention,” Breen said.

Forming an idea of what he wants to say, he said, is a majority of the process. 

“The more reading that I do on any given day, the easier it is to come up with ideas,” Breen said.

Breen used the analogy of doing an impression of a family member. He said that the reason you’re able to do an accurate impression is because you’re familiar with who they are.

“The more you know, the more you’re able to kind of comment with authority on that subject,” Breen said.

To be able to comment on a community well, he said, he tries to exist within it.

“You [have] got to get out there,” Breen said. “That’s really how you know stuff. Talk to people who are knowledgeable about different areas of the county.Talking to people in the know – like everything from politicians, to teachers, to people in real estate, to business people, to people working at the local taco stand – I love doing that.”

Once he finds his topic of commentary, he then has to make it funny. Breen reiterated that he has to have a deep understanding of his subject matter before he is able to find the humor within it.

“It’s a lot easier to be funny when you feel confident about something,” he said.

What defines a cartoon

Breen said that in most cases, a cartoon should have a clear meaning. 

“An illustration should complement the story, so that could kind of [have] some more ambiguity. But a cartoon shouldn’t,” Breen said. “The best cartoon should not equivocate.”

His drawing of Vladmir Putin is perhaps the most compelling image hanging in the Keller exhibition, according to Breen’s standards. 

“I think the best cartoons are the ones that have little to no words, but it’s very difficult to crystallize something into one image,” Breen said. “But that’s the gold standard.”

The nationally syndicated cartoonist said that he tries to push the envelope graphically. 

“I try to emphasize the artwork. I mean, you got to have a good idea,” Breen said.

Politics  

Breen said that his coverage from either side of the political spectrum is not calculated, but rather what he feels he can comment on at the moment.

When he doesn’t know how he feels about something, Breen said it’s harder to create compelling work. 

“Those are often weak, watery cartoons. It’s when I’m fired up about something that produces my best work,” Breen said. 

Breen studied political science for his undergraduate at the University of California, Riverside. He said he loves history and that his background gives him a deeper understanding of how political systems operate, both here and outside the U.S. 

“I think that our discourse is swinging between the two extremes, and I just wish people would be more reasonable,” Breen said. “I could just see the headline: ‘Why can’t people be more like me?’”

While Breen comments on political extremism, he’s still able to crack jokes. His expertise in finding the balance between news everyone should care about and what’s funny lies in his ability to comment on issues, not party lines.

“You could look at one of my cartoons, and be like ‘Oh, he’s a total liberal’ and look at another and [think] ‘Oh, he’s a total conservative,’” Breen said. “And it’s not by design, it’s just who I am.”

He said that the work he does today comes with an understanding of the long history of cartoonists who have helped to shape the United States’ political landscape.

“You feel a responsibility, because you look at all the talented work that’s been done before you, and you’re like, ‘How can I keep up with that? Or, how can I match those standards,’” Breen said.

In order to find his place as a cartoonist, Breen said, studying the works of those who came before was integral to the process.

He told his college advisor, a previous journalist, that he wanted to be a cartoonist in the school newspaper. The advisor told him to go study the works of a list of people he wrote down.

“When I was not at fraternity parties, I was in the library, studying cartoons,” Breen said. “In college, that’s what I was doing. And I was literally obsessed with studying cartoons and drawing my own cartoons.”

The exhibit 

In 2022, Breen was invited to exhibit a collection of his work that span his career, according to David Carlson, PLNU professor of art and chair of the department of art and design. Now open, it hangs in Keller Gallery until Dec. 6.

“I hope the exhibition brings diverse voices from our campus and the community together and connects during a time when there is such division among us,” Carlson said.

With the exhibit opening a day before the U.S. election, “Drawing the Line” invites spectators to think more deeply about Breen’s work.

“All art is transformational,” Carlson said. “This exhibition, along with our previous exhibitions and the exhibitions to follow, provides a venue for our community to come together and engage in dialogue, celebrate life and foster creativity.” 

Carlson also invited Breen to speak in his illustration class and professor of art and design, Dave Adey’s 3D design class. Carlson said that he wanted his students to connect with professionals like Breen who live locally and are engaged with the complexities of the world around them.

Student artist weighs in

Faith Napier is a fourth-year graphic design major, who attended Breen’s class visit. 

“He [Breen] was beyond talented, and hearing his process and how real he was about how sometimes it is hard to think of ideas that are beyond what is expected was reassuring, because as an art major, I totally can feel that way,” Napier said. 

She said that the opportunity to observe Breen’s work is an extension of how the art department provides opportunities for students to incorporate their niche interests into their work.

“We get a lot of creative freedom, where every student is getting to show their inspiration through their work and really [gets to] search to find their inspiration to put their own unique style forward,” Napier said. “Professors encourage us to search for ourselves and put that into our pieces.”