The period of 1950s is of paramount significance for Li Zongjin, during which he was capable and vigorous. He created many works with full emotion to show people’s great enthusiasm for hard work in the initial construction of the country. All of these works are all solid in forms and vivid in colors and demonstrate his superior skills in realistic painting. The work Portrait of A Railway Worker is undoubtedly one of them.

The worker in the picture faces left with a calm expression. His eyes are covered in the dark and his muscles are clear and obvious due to his sideways position. The most attractive part in the painting is the solid and rigorous sketch by the artist. In the whole picture, a striking contrast is formed between the dark and bright parts; the structure with a strong sense of stereoscopic effect highlights the body’s features; the strokes forming the tanned skin, dark blue cap, black pants, etc. are exquisite and expressive, offering viewers a sense of real pleasure. In the depiction of the figure’s hands, Li endowed the worker’s right hand holding a tool with the tridimensional effect by taking advantage of lights, thus creating an in-depth expression of the ordinary worker in a way filled with the classical beauty of a human body. He also gave a vivid presentation of the hard life of the worker by rendering the swollen veins.

(Edited by Li Hanning & Yang Zhige, 2021)