In the early agricultural society of Taiwan, buffaloes was a very important source of labor. Humans and cattle had a close emotional connection. Shepherd boys and buffaloes were common rural scenes and also one of the popular themes of early artistic creation. During the Japanese colonial period, the subject matter of buffaloes and shepherd boys in rural Taiwan symbolized the scenic atmosphere of the South. After the war, it marked a common daily scene in the countryside. Cattle and farmers often represented the spiritual connotation of toil and hard work.
In the composition of After a Day’s Labor, 1948, the elongated shadow on the road reveals the time of the shooting. On the way home at sunset, the farmer takes the buffalo home. The background is quite simple. The farmer and the buffalo is shot with backlighting, which presents a sharp outline like a silhouette. The performance of light and shadow in this work is extreme, highlighting the deliberate painterly arrangement in addition to his photography skills.
Lin Yi-luo, “2021 Compilation and Research Project of Metadata in Photography.”