Tag Archives: Art

Some LEGO builders elevate the form to fine art in its own right, while others enjoy reproducing famous works of art with the brick. Find beautiful and thought-provoking LEGO artwork right here.

Still LEGO life worthy of an art gallery

Traditionally, still life is the drawing or painting of items such as fruit, flowers and household objects, which are usually arranged on a table top. Birgitte Jonsgard has crossed LEGO with a typical still life set up to give a still LEGO life piece of artwork that seems to emulate the work of Dutch Golden Age painter, Pieter de Ring. The dark background and table contrasting with the vibrant colours of fruit, vegetables and, of course, the central lobster have been carefully arranged to really give some serious artwork vibes.

If you like Birgitte’s still life style of LEGO art, you will love another of her creations that we featured; Still life painting of LEGO fruit and seafood.

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Giving new life to an old image

Not content with recreating his parent’s wedding photograph as a conventional LEGO wall mosaic, Caleb I decided to commemorate their 25th wedding anniversary in this ambitious two-and-a-half-dimensional non-rectangular format. After spending 100 hours digitally designing the piece, Caleb then set about the arduous task of not only acquiring the 2400 odd bricks needed to build it, but also addressing physical demands on the model that aren’t apparent until a design actually gets assembled “in the flesh”.

I hope this is still hanging on their wall when they get to commemorate their 50th! At which time, Caleb can no doubt recreate it using 5-dimensional LEGO holocubes.

If Banksy started building in LEGO

Graffiti has been a fact of life since the pyramids were built, but you may not have ever seen LEGO graffiti before (unless you’ve been reading The Brothers Brick for a really long time). Roman says he started with the minifig street artist and then came up with the larger build. The backward bandana as a hood is inspired and it’s good to see he takes his respiratory health seriously.

I love the dripping paint from the freshly painted wall and the items chosen to inhabit the scene. It is a concise frame for a cool piece of instantly recognizable graffiti.

A gravity-defying LEGO waterfall

Do you enjoy the soothing sounds of moving water? How about the clatter of LEGO crystals jostling together? If so, you’ll love Jarren Harkema‘s perpetual-motion style fountain. Jarren says his creation was inspired by M.C. Escher’s Waterfall lithograph, which depicts water flowing uphill .

The crystal fountain’s gravity-defying effect was achieved by using two Power Functions L-Motors and six ladders held together with 40 gears. To see the fountain in action, check out the video below.

A truly golden example of forced perspective

When I visited, I never got to see the top half of the Golden Gate Bridge due to the ever-present San Francisco fog. But now I feel like I don’t need to because Zio Chao has created an excellent “photograph” of the beautiful bridge. The builder uses forced perspective to his advantage to create a striking 2D image that really looks three dimensional. And let’s not overlook the little sailboat in the corner, which only adds to the effect as it sails into the bay.

What really makes the illusion work is that only one of the supports on each gate is connected, while the other one just floats a bit further back. This gives the effect that the road is actually going through the supports and not across them.

I feel my luck could change

Celebrating the 20-year anniversary re-release of a 1997 Radiohead record, Anthony Wilson presents a LEGO rendition of OK Computer. Subdued color choices and good line placement using plates and tiles make Anthony’s build a great representation of the album cover.

A mind is a terrible thing to waste

I certainly couldn’t guess what’s on Timofey Tkachev’s mind with this sculpture, but I sure do know that I like it because it’s not your typical build but a peek into an artist’s own emotions. Over and above the mystery of the mind, the exterior shaping leaves you wondering about the techniques used to sculpt a 3D skull. Such a masterpiece indeed.

A natural selection of LEGO parts

We are all born winners. Right from the start, we can say that we have won our first race. Kosmas Santosa has captured that first race in nature in LEGO using the Panel 4 x 4 x 13 Curved Tapered with Clip at Each End to shape the little swimmers’ heads. The grayscale palette and some nice lighting really help these fun little guys look their best on their big day.

We don’t make mistakes, we just have happy accidents

If you watched PBS’s Joy of Painting back in the 80s and early 90s, you’ll probably recognize BrickinNick‘s most recent creation. If not, I’ll give you a few hints. This icon was known for his soft voice, his permed afro (which BrickinNick captured perfectly in LEGO brick), and his positive outlook on life. Bob Ross also taught me that there’s nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend.

Don’t ride a bike to add days to your life – ride a bike to add life to your days

What started out as a dare to find a use for the giant technic gears from LEGO’s 2003 Hailfire Droid set has turned into this charming LEGO representation of a picnic in the city. Inspired by fond memories of summer bike rides, Canadian builder Mel Finelli has made ingenious use of many unusual parts to create an almost photorealistic scene. From the reproduction vintage ’30s LaFrance bicycle, retro radio, wicker basket full of goodies and Kensington lamp post, every component of this build demands closer examination to truly appreciate the techniques and finer details. No wonder then that this build won Best in Show when it debuted at BrickCan 2017 in Vancouver last month.

Click here for a closeup look

Is Danish cuisine just LEGO food?

Actually, this amazing recreation of a gourmet dinner is made by a Russian builder (and cook!) Timofey Tkachev, but the “Danish influence” is unmistakable. All the food is very realistic, with many subtle detailing that reveals Timofey’s professional background. His favourite drink is also obvious from the amount of effort put into the beer bottle and glass. Although the concave shaping of a dinner plate is infamously hard to build in LEGO, but the builder cleverly solved the problem by making the plates “fancy”.

There is a subtle detail in this creation, because when viewed from above, the scene spells the abbreviation of the Russian LUG (although in Cyrillic and very subtle, so not many casual viewers are likely to catch it).

It’s hip to be square

It’s perhaps surprising we don’t see more LEGO building inspired by Cubist art. Bricks would appear to lend themselves perfectly to the style. This unique series of character models by Korean builder Amida Na are an unusual take on building which relies on perspective and point-of-view, creating an interesting intersection between confusion and beauty. This isn’t the first time Amida has messed with our heads: The “folded space” of his previous cubist train set was also the inspiration behind these new creations.

The build of Goku left me trying to process whether it was front facing or back facing – when it doesn’t really matter! In fact, the effect is strange. You immediately know what you are looking at, but are bewildered because it looks so odd. Then you are attracted deeper into understanding the model’s construction. The style is likely to evoke a different reaction in each viewer — but it rewards contemplation, seeming to yield up new details.

Amida describes the technique as eliminating the least important dimension, as many objects are distinguishable from their silhouette alone, especially character builds. What remains is a two-dimensional form, folded into itself to give it a sense of depth. The process of folding gives an aesthetic value of extruded facets, and from a practical standpoint it’s a good way of having the builds stand upright. Captain America is immediately recognizable, but also totally different from any other Cap’ model you’ve seen before.