U. student cartoon show opens

A naked woman lying on top of a robot, a flipbook in which a motorcycle changes into an elusive female form and a series of cartoons portraying campus issues are among highlights of a new exhibit sponsored by the Penn Student Gallery called The Character of Cartoon. The exhibit features reproductions of selected drawings of four undergraduate artists -- College seniors Fred Chung and Charles Hayes, College sophomore Adam Matta, and Wharton junior and Daily Pennsylvanian Art Editor Andrew Figel. The art show includes a variety of styles ranging from previously published DP political cartoons to spur-of -the-moment notebook sketches, said the artists. "It's a different type of art," said College senior Jennifer Rizzi. "It's trying to represent real life with a different twist." Among the more popular drawings are the sexually suggestive "Appliance" and "Erotica" by Hayes, Matta's unusual flipbook entitled "Troubled Soul," and Chung's dark, brooding sketch named "Victor Frankenstein and the Daemon." "It's amazing how much talent is out there," said Wharton senior Heather Lawrence. College junior Adam Morgenthau while studying the various works said Hayes' drawings were thought provoking. "[Hayes]'s work is very intriguing," said Morgenthau. "I walk up to it and wonder what it means and what he's trying to get at." College junior Raj George liked the way Figel's political cartoons were presented. "Newspaper drawings look so much better by themselves," said George. "When in print, there is a lot taken away from them." College sophomore Pamela Beecroft said she preferred Adam Matta's work, especially his flipbook. "The motorcycle bike turning into a woman is pretty funky, pretty out there," said Beecroft. While students' opinions were for the most part positive, there was a mixed reaction over Charles Hayes' "Appliance," depicting a naked woman lying on top of a robot. A few women refused to comment on the particular piece, but Wharton junior Dana Loesberg was not afraid to voice her feelings. "It's really disquieting to see women portrayed in such a demeaning position," said Loesberg. But the Penn Student Gallery Committee, composed of five undergraduate women, had few reservations about displaying "Appliance." "We didn't consider not hanging the work of Charles Hayes," said College senior and head of installation Karen Roth. "It's important to hang his work as a comparison to other artists' works." "As the Gallery, we're not trying to offend anybody," she added. The Character of Cartoon is in the Houston Hall Bowl Room and will run through February 18th.