Social Identity: Lai Foong Moi

Lai Foong Moi, Labourer (Lunch Break), 1965, Oil on canvas

1. DESCRIBE the artwork.

The painting is set in a coffee shop, a place where workers relax and enjoy their meals. In the painting, a young man is the main subject. He is dressed in casual clothing, namely a white singlet, a navy blue Chinese traditional shirt that is unbuttoned and a simple pair of grey shorts. The man appears to be gazing in a direction away from the viewer, and seems to be pondering about something. His facial expression is rather serious and imbues a sense of dignity about him. He sits on a chair with his legs comfortably spread out, his left arm hung loosely over the chair, and his right arm resting on his thigh. His posture and his casual clothes illustrate a very relaxed stance. The man’s skin appears to be very tanned, a golden-brown colour, and his legs are very toned and muscular.

Behind him, in the background, a samsui woman, wearing a plain black long-sleeved shirt, is eating with a pair of chopsticks from a tiffin carrier. She sits facing the white wall with her back to the viewer. She dons a wide, red samsui hat on her head that is meant to protect her from weather elements like the sun and the wind as she labours outdoors.

2. Analyze the symbolism in the artwork.

In the painting, the man is in the foreground and is the main subject matter, whereas the woman is much smaller in scale as compared to the man, and is facing the wall with her back to the viewers. The placement of the man and the samsui woman conveys how women were of lower status than man at the time that the artwork was painted.

Lai conveyed the peoples’ lifestyle at the time, through the toned and muscular legs of the man, suggesting that the people worked very hard to make a living. The people also lived simplistic lives as can be seen from the simple clothing they wear.