Weeping Mona Lisa
Oil on canvas, 40" x 30"
Collection of Hayden Museum of American Art (original)
Collection of Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum (current)

Why is Mona Lisa weeping?

According to artnet news, "The Louvre attracts around 10 million visitors a year and can accommodate some 30,000 to 50,000 people a day, 80 percent of whom come to see the Mona Lisa." That's a huge number of people!

Art lovers and tourists alike are drawn to Mona Lisa because it was created by the Italian Renaissance giant Leonardo da Vinci and because of its fame and popularity.

It is believed that Mona Lisa's gaze is always fixed on the viewer, with her mysterious smile. Her eyes radiate delight when you are happy and show sympathy when you are feeling blue.

Yan Sun, too, felt this connection when he looked at Mona Lisa, especially after hearing news about some tragic incidents in the US. In his painting "Weeping Mona Lisa," Sun used images to remind people of some of the saddest moments - things that shouldn't happen in this great country. He chose one image, a part of a newspaper showing a firefighter holding a child in his arms, to symbolize the love that warms the whole world.

Yan Sun deeply appreciates masterpieces in art history and is moved by those great artworks. Sometimes, these artworks find their way deep into people's hearts. "Weeping Mona Lisa" always captures viewers' attention.

Yan Sun oil painting inspired by Albrecht Dürer: Albrecht Dürer in Studio
Yan Sun oil painting inspired by Henry Moore: Dialog with Henry Moore

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