A tribute to labour on Labour Day
It’s the 1st of May and Labour Day in more than 80 countries. In the Philippines, they’re paying the usual homage to seafarers and those who work in factories at home and abroad. Much of it, though, is lip service, more empty words of the kind we heard during the Year of the Seafarer 2010. One of the best tributes to labour we’ve come across is non-verbal. It’s an oil painting by Dutch Post-Impressionist master Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) entitled ‘A Pair of Shoes’. Part of the artist’s series on the subject of shoes and clogs, the work (shown below) presents an iconic image of the working class which should remind us of how much we owe those who toil at sea and on shore. ~Barista Uno
