Family Audio Guide Stop #31 Sun Xun
Sun Xun is an artist from China who created this artwork. It looks like a folding book, which might remind you of other Asian artworks you have seen before. Other elements, like the dragons on the left- and right- hand sides, or the monks in the center of the work, may also remind you of Chinese art. But other parts of this work are clearly references to America. What other details do you see? Can you find the Statue of Liberty, its head and famous torch disconnected from its body? What does the Statue of Liberty represent, and why do you think the artist might have painted it broken? Can you find all the places where the artist drew flames? What do you think it means that the earth, mountains, and trees are all on fire?
The artist has included words in this artwork, including famous words from The Declaration of Independence, which he uses to express his views on the current political administration in the United States. If you look to the left of the painting, you might see a figure that looks a lot like Donald Trump slinking away from the mess it created.
Have you ever used art to express your unhappiness with something or to describe a bad moment in time? What are some of the ways the artist that made this work shows unhappiness?