The Hawk

Issue date: 11/10/06 Section: Entertainment

Battling Windmills.

Good Walls Make Good Neighbors.

Hilarious. Comical. Amusing. Witty.

Walk into Boland Hall, take a cursory glance around at the nine photographs hanging on the walls, laugh out loud, and then turn around and leave. If you do this, you are certain to miss something. Although the pieces of work on display are funny on the surface, really digging into the art will reveal a deeper meaning of life and the world.

Presently on display in Boland Hall is a two person digital photo exhibit that is just that-funny, creative, and thought-provoking. The work entitled "Beating a Dead Horse" by Chad Muthard and Nils Orth will be on display from Nov. 6 to Dec. 11. "Orth and Muthard combine their talents in a series of digital photographs that upon first look seem comical. After delving deeper into the series, you see a raw portrayal of life as they have experienced it" said Jeanne Bracy, Associate Director of the University Gallery.

Chad Muthard is an up and coming artist, just graduating from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts. He most recently worked as the creative director for Wonka Vision Magazine and has contributed to six exhibitions thus far in this career. Muthard has digital and photographic skills and extensive knowledge in equipment.

Nils Orth is also an emerging artist who graduated from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in 2006 with a bachelor's degree of Fine Arts. He too has had six exhibitions on display since 2004 and has won awards for his work, the most recent being for Adobe Design Achievement Awards.

"The best way to identify with it all is to take a step back and enjoy the view." This was said by the artists in reference to a story written about a family they had created through their imagination. Just as it is impossible to grasp everything about someone on the surface by just looking at each individual person, so too it is impossible to truly understand "Beating a Dead Horse" without stepping back, taking a deep breath, and enjoying the view of all the pieces together. Together they tell a story.

Thoughtful masterpieces mix with whimsical stories of ordinary people. A few offer a good laugh while telling a story underneath. "Close But No Cigar" is a digital photograph of a young boy throwing baseballs through glass windows. The motion is captured perfectly and the holes in the windows are erected with complete precision. "Battling Windmills" depicts what appears to be a college female amidst chaos of books and desks. This photograph really captures the essence of college life and the overwhelming feeling students experience during their time at school. For a serious laugh "Good Walls Make Good Neighbors" is a sure hit. A man has essentially become part of the wall in his neighbor's house in just his underwear, playing the guitar.

"Primrose Path" is a very illuminating piece. The path to a beautiful house is lit with numerous lamps of all shapes and sizes. "Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining" shows a scene where a man is looking in on his wife with another man in his house. By the way, the man is standing in a shipping box full of those little annoying white Styrofoam balls. Another house scene shows a multitude of red balloons seeping from the windows and garage in "White Elephant."

"While constructing each body of work I feel myself embody both the creator and the viewer," said Chad Muthard. Each piece of work was created with careful attention to what he himself and the intended viewer are to see. Each photograph in the series depicts some real-life situation that has been exaggerated, but no doubt experienced by someone, somewhere in the world. "The interpretation of the photographs is up to each individual viewer," said Jeanne Bracy. Everyone has experienced the world in their life differently but each viewer can take away a piece of the photographs that fit perfectly into his/her heart.

A reception for the artists will be held on November 10, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. I strongly urge anyone to take in the experience and enjoy a good laugh along the way.

Quotes courtesy of Hawkeye and chadmurthard.com.

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