Here’s a Study of Visual Arts essay written during block test this term. I only posted the answer for Q2.
My Father and the Astronaut by Ibrahim Hussein
1970, Acrylic on Canvas
(a) Describe the subject matter of the work.
Ibrahim Hussein is a Malaysian artist and he has a museum in Lang Kawi. He is interested in capturing the traditional way of life, and relates his work to the importance of tradition and heritage.
Firstly, this painting is clearly divided into 2 halves. On the left, there is an old man. As the title suggests, he is Hussein’s father. The man is clad in a brown-checkered sarong and is topless. He appears dull and morose, with wrinkles on his forehead, revealing a frown through the expression on his eyes and lips. He is slightly hunched, and his body is well-tanned.
On the other side, there is an astronaut dressed in a white spacesuit which covers his entire body. He has an oxygen tank attached to his back, and has his left hand holding a multitude of objects, such as high-tech gadgets, a camera, film and a dollar note. HIs helmot visor reflects a beautiful tropical landscape, with 2 palm trees on the right, green grass and a cloudy blue sky with shadows of blue mountains.
The entire background of the canvas is dark brown. At the back of the astronaut, on the extreme right of the painting, there are two blue stripes spanning from the top to the bottom of the canvas. In the middle of the canvas where the line of separation of the astronaut and old man is, there are rows of words that suggest the place, date and time in which the two figures appear. Below it, there are more words, suggesting and describing the nouns that can be related to the two characters’ work respectively.
(b) Why is this a good cultural commentary on traditions and heritage?
Firstly, the aim of this painting is to contrast traditional and modern society. This effect is effective as a commentary on tradition and heritage as the composition clearly shows the difference between the two figures. The two figures are separated, one on each side of the canvas. There is a black line, suggesting a boundary between the old man and the astronaut. The old man lives in sungai limau dalam yen, a rural agriculture area, whereas the astronaut belongs to space and the modern technological age. This boundary between them signifies that the traditional cannot blend in with the contemporary, and cannot catch up with our fast-paced modern society.
Next, the colours also clearly comment on eroding traditional culture. The father is clad in brown and has a dark skin tone, and is almost blending and fading into the darker brown background. This shows how as time passes, the importance of tradition wears out and heritage is gradually forgotten. On the contrary, the astronaut is bright and shining, as the things that he is holding are brightly coloured, showing that in modern society, much emphasis is placed on scientific and technological advancement. Therefore as time passes, the father fades while the astronaut becomes more outstanding. Thus one can infer that the artist questions the need to preserve tradition in the midst of technology.
Lastly, the words contrast each other. The word ‘place sungai limau dalam yen’ contrasts with the blue words ‘AS IT HAPPENS’. shoeing that while tradition is kept only in rural areas as the former, man is progrssing in terms of technology every moment. The words ricefields, rambutan and so on suggest the basic needs of man for survival, and how these commodities can only be obtained with continual preservation of tradition, unlike how scientific development is a huge risk and only satisfies man’s thirst for development which is ultimately desolate.
(c) Discuss with reference with one other named work by another Malaysian artist, how artists have identified with notions of ‘progress’.
Bayu Utomo Radjikin is another Malaysian artist and sculptor who deals with the notion of ‘progress’. He is a rural-urban migrant to Kuala Lumpur, and thus is concerned with the preservation of culture and the social problemsrelated to traditional tribes.
His sculpture Lang Kacang (1991), as seen above, depicts a warrior dressed in a traditional armour of the Dayak tribe. The warrior’s head is tilted high towards the sky with anguish and agony, whereas his body is stiff and rigid.
Firstly, the use of found materials such as discarded industrial parts and metal and feathers suggest the backwardness of tradition compared to the progress to the 21st century. The body of the warrior is made of rusting metal, suggesting that ‘progress’ has caused tradition and marginalized tribes in Malaysia to be eroded and faded in time. Thus artists such as Utomo relate to progress as a criticism to the gradual erosion of culture.
Utomo also believes that progress of science and technology poses a threat to marginalized tribes at the borders of Malaysia. The feather headdress on the warrior’s head and expression of the warrior shows pride for his tribe, while the body of metal seems to be bounding his body tightly, restricting the movement of his body, suggesting that he is paralysed and that society is restricting the growth of humans, especially tribal life and happiness. His body appears bandaged up with the twining of the metal, showing that this tribe has suffered emoitional scars and even battle scars from the war with modern day science and technology.
