Last night, three works by the infamous British street artist Banksy showed up in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and the city’s street art scene have been clamoring to understand the meaning of these “sad clowns” that are spread around the north Brooklyn neighborhood.

Last night, three works by the infamous British street artist Banksy popped up in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and the city’s street art scene have been clamoring to understand the meaning of these “sad clowns” that are spread around the north Brooklyn neighborhood.

“Everyone loves a clown,” coffee shop owner Rodrigo Bandes told me after I approached him for comment. “But why are they so sad?”

The imagery, which varies from a small two-color stencil on Franklin Avenue to a 12 foot high work on Wythe Avenue, depict clowns in contemplative and melancholic moods. The clowns seems atypical for an artist who normally includes political commentary in his work.

“Is Banksy depressed,” asked one onlooker, who stood in front of the large sad clown on Wythe, before he started to sob into his hands.

“Those are real Banksys?” Sira Sirivanis asked as she stopped to consider the stenciled work of a sad clown praying. “Even a clown needs God,” she said before falling to her knees to pray in front of the street art work.

Rumors are that the three identified works are part of a larger series of sad clowns that will be unveiled in the next few days in Greenpoint.