Lai Foong Moi, Labourer

1.

•  seems to be set in a coffee shop or a place for people to eat.
•  main subject matter is a chinese man in the right foreground
•  wearing a dark blue, open, longsleeved shirt with a white undershirt and cotton shorts.
•  title suggests that he is the labourer taking a break
•  his hair is short and neat and his head is tilted to look towards the right.
• seems to be staring into space
• eyebrows are furrowed and deep wrinkles in his face seems to imply that he is tired and troubled
• seems to be pondering a problem 
• he is resting with his back against a table, and his elbow resting on top of it.
• in the background, we see a samsui woman, or a chinese woman labourer, recognised through her straw hat and chinese style clothes. 
• she also seems to be taking a break
• she is holding chopsticks in her hands and seems to have a container of food in front of her
• there are what seem to be wooden walls or partitions in the background, perhaps part of the design of the shop
• lighting is dim in the area (could be late in the day)

2.

• posture of the labourer is slouched, probably from tiredness.
• could be the end of the day since the lighting is dim. also, not many people are around and we can only see one other patron who is about to eat.
• suggests that this is a place to eat and everyone else is heading home
• the man could be taking a break after a long and tiring day of work
• he seems to be staring into space, probably pondering about a problem due to the deep wrinkles and furrowed eyebrows which contribute to the troubled expression on his face.
• the year that this artwork was painted was 1965. at that time, Singapore was fighting for independence and there were probably many problems that had arisen. so the labourer could be troubled because of this
• he could also be troubled because of financial problems because at that time, the people were poor, and him being a labourer would imply that he is not very well off, so he could be worrying about how he would be able to support his family
• it shows a day in the life of the working class population at that time.