Surely you’ve heard of Salvador Dalí, the great Spanish painter known for his vivid surrealist imagery. In 1976, he painted Gala contemplating the Mediterranean Sea which at a distance of 20 meters is transformed into the portrait of Abraham Lincoln, which is not totally unlike our modern “magic eye” drawings. The name may be long and unwieldly, but it’s a very literal description of the painting.

Does it work? Let’s try an experiment. Have a look at Max to the well‘s excellent representation of the painting. You can clearly see a figure standing in the middle of the model, facing away from you. That’s meant to be Gala, Dalí’s wife, staring at the sea. Now, move your chair back, away from your computer. You probably won’t be able to go 20 meters, but you can probably go 5 meters (about 16 feet). Now what do you see? Be honest, it looks a little bit like Abraham Lincoln, doesn’t it?

You may now return your seat to its regular upright position.

This famous piece of street art by Banksy depicts a little girl drifting over the controversial wall in the West Bank. Grantmasters has skillfully reproduced the detailed silhouette in LEGO, and it remains as poignant as ever.

LEGO mosaics are fascinating. I’ve never tried to build one but I would imagine it would be very difficult. Jimmy Clinch, however, seems to have had no trouble assembling this masterpiece.

The brilliant use of tan, dark tan, light grey, dark grey and even some dark green give this two-dimensional creation an amazing three-dimensional look. It’s as if you could reach out and “beep” emperor Hadrian on the nose!

The builder says that this was built to accompany the Brick to the Past group’s Roman frontier collaboration we featured a while back. Be sure to check that out if you haven’t already.

Chris Maddison is participating in the current round of Iron Builder, and has integrated the special seed part into a mosaic that captures the uniqe formline style of art made by the Haida, Tlingit, Coast Salish, and many other peoples who share the broad characteristics of what is commonly called Northwest Coast culture. The red and black formlines stand out from the white backdrop, and the brick-built “wooden” frame adds to the presentation. I walk past “Northwest Art” galleries in downtown Seattle everyday, and this would look right at home on a gallery wall.