The Agony of Finding Information on Asian Artists

Ibrahim Hussein, My Father and the Astronaut, 1970, acrylic.

Question 1a: Using what you know, why do YOU think that Ibrahim Hussein has juxtaposed the image of his father with an astronaut? What is the relationship between the two (also think about the title)?

I think it was used to juxtapose the different cultures and aspirations of different men in the world, more specifically, that of Asian and Western with this painting. The artist's father is most likely a man from a rural village (which comes from the words pisang (banana) and durian mentioned in the painting and his malay kudong worn without a shirt) and it shows the poorer background the artist came from. His father would represent the generation just before the one which is more exposed and accepting towards Western ideas and one which was primarily concerned about keeping the family held together and getting food on the table.

The astronaut conversely represents the Western ideas of gaining more, (the money the camera the film) and of a higher aspiration and knowledge than the father. The technology and modernism attached to the astronaut speaks of crossing new boundaries and things which are unexplored. 

In the same way, Asian views are more conservative, searching more for sustainability than really making it big as the astronaut would in the year 1936 when it's still three decades from the first man on the moon. 

It is possible that the astronaut represents the artist, as the date written on this piece of art was the artist's birth date. The idea that the astronaut's helmet reflects the rural countryside of Malaysia (most likely) probably was to show that this wasn't an entirely Western figure. Since it is most probably a depiction of the Malaysian countryside he grew up in and the title was "My Father and the Astronaut", the astronaut could have been the artist's persona. 

It was the American dream of reaching the moon which the author may have adopted to represent his own differences with his father. The artist most probably faced strong opposition from his father when deciding to become an artist (generally seen as unprofitable at that time) and since he always had a "knack" for art, there would already be this destiny of achievement that could be his. Most people also thought that reaching outer space and the moon was impossible too back in the 1939 period till the Russian team managed to get a contraption into space. So it could have been an analogy to describe his relationship with his father.   

Question 1b: Why do you think that the text that is placed between the figures relates to the artist's birth? Where does the relation lie between this and the rest of the work?

The text refers to the place where he was born in Malaysia and separates itself from the more lofty sayings on the right referring to the "magnificent desolation" and the idea about destiny. I guess it reflects two opposing views which similarly contrast the difference between the older era and the present which is changing (the artist growing up). The artist probably sees himself stuck between the two views of the text, one of the more practical scene of rice fields and where the artist is supposed to make his life and the other a bit more stretched in thinking.

Between the astronaut and his father, it's more of a relation between a comparison of two different viewpoints. One of a more tired, care-worn generation and one with new hope and ideas for tomorrow. The text to the left is more factual and fragmented, like it's not really thought through and symbolises a very simple way of life and language. The text to the right is more thought out and has a more sophisticated air to it. Then it explains the differences between the astronaut and the man.    

Question 2: DESCRIBE the mixed-media artwork:

Answer these questions as a guide for ALL 2-D mixed media works (some questions do not apply to every painting):

• What is the artwork an image OF? (What are the identifiable things IN the artwork?)
• An astronaut with a lot of things hanging off his arms and a more aged man in the rural malay dressing.

• Where are these things located IN the artwork?
• Text and the images.
• Where does the subject of the artwork take place? (in a room, at a festival, etc)
  
• On a piece of maroon colored wall. In a museum explanation chart with a timeline type of background.
• What COLORS are used & what do they look like? (bright, dull, earth tones, etc)
• Earth tones which are duller and white. 
• What type of PERSPECTIVE is used in the artwork?
• Flat, 2D, like a copy and paste of the images onto the background.
• What materials are used? Is there a unique effect that these materials create?
• Paint- a hazy impression and a blend into the background.

• What texture (if any) does the artwork have?
• Flat, wall paint.