Afghan-Influenced Art on Display at American University

By George Dwyer
Washington
08 August 2007

The exhibit, called "True Dutterer: The Work of William S. Dutterer", focuses, in part, on a series of paintings inspired by the artist's trip to Afghanistan. Heads and faces appear bound and gagged for punishment from one perspective… or bandaged for healing and preservation by another.

Friends, remembering Bill Dutterer after his untimely death, say these paintings are intentionally ambiguous, designed to evoke both joy and sadness and to express freedom and security as well as oppression and intolerance.

In the end, they defy any attempt at explanation by words alone. Instead, they are the pure visual expression of a respected American artist and his personal experience with Afghanistan today.