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Lego Sculptures

Legos...simple, versatile, virtually indestructible. These cleverly wrought little building blocks have been around for decades-- and for decades, people have been using these miniscule colored bricks as an expansive creative medium (as seen in photo1), a creative representation of time square made of Legos by Lego artist Sean-Kenney).

Today we're going to take a look at some of the incredibly inventive Lego sculptures that have graced the world wide web. Some people build for the challenge; others build because they have way too much time on their hands.

Like any kind of art, there are a Lego sculptors who choose to emulate their obsessions, but with the ultimate type of fanart-- life-sized sulptures of their favorite super heroes and comic book characters. These individuals show dedication above and beyond the necessary call of duty. Check out this insane Batman sculpture, which is gracing the attendees of New York Comic Con from the convention lobby with his grim stateliness (as seen in photo 2). Less ghastly but just as impressive, this radioactive spider-man sculpture seems to be taking up residence in a comic book store somewhere (as seen in photo 3). Talk about an eye-catching way to draw in customers!

Comics are fun, but what about art that's derivative of reality? Of course there are those artists who choose to see just how realistically they can replicate real world objects with their handy Lego bricks. This swallow-tail butterfly, for example, is a gorgeous (and gigantic) replica of the actual thing (as seen in photo 4). Gigantic takes on a whole new meaning, however, when it comes to this sculpture of this airplane bearing the Singapore Airlines name (as seen in photo 5). Huge, but certainly not life size). Last but not least of these outstanding object replications is this massive Nintendo DSi (as seen in photo 6). This thing is insane! Just look at the its size compared to the guy standing behind it. That guy, by the way, is Sean-Kenney, the man who created it. According to Sean-Kenney.com, "This LEGO sculpture of the Nintendo DSi was on display at the Nintendo World Store at Rockefeller Center in New York City for 6 months in 2009," which sounds pretty darn impressive, if you ask me.

And finally, we've come to maybe my absolute favorite trend in Lego sculptures--completely original, inventive works of art that simply happen to be made of Legos. These sculptures aren't based on any pre-existing characters or places, but rather, are inspired by a concept, emotion, or experience-- like good art is. Take a look at this one (as seen in photo 7)-- you can just feel the pain and suffering of the artist. The creator of this work, Nathan Sawaya, actually quit his day job as a Lawyer and now makes lego sculptures for a living. Another one of his works, which consists of a giant hand crushing a small red figure, is just as impressive and just as emotion and thought-provoking as the previous (as seen in photo 8).

The underlying theme here is that it would be foolish to underestimate the power of childish things, and that art can be made from even the most simple, and unlikely of materials. Also, it's totally realistic to fulfill your childhood dream job of being a full-time Lego sculptor. Just saying.

Photo Credits

Photo 1: Times Square. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2014, from Sean Kenney.com website: http://www.seankenney.com/portfolio/times_square/

Photo 2: GirdWood, A. (2012, July 1). Superhero Week: LEGO superheroes. Retrieved October 31, 2014, from GeekNative website: http://www.geeknative.com/29353/superhero-week-lego-superheroes/

Photo 3: GirdWood, A. (2012, July 1). Superhero Week: LEGO superheroes. Retrieved October 31, 2014, from GeekNative website: http://www.geeknative.com/29353/superhero-week-lego-superheroes/

Photo 4: Gonzalez, R. (2012, June 6). Amazing Garden Sculptures. Retrieved October 31, 2014, from Treehugger website: http://www.treehugger.com/culture/amazing-garden-sculptures-made-lego-bricks-reiman-gardens.html

Photo 5: 25 Amazing Lego Sculptures. (2012, December 5). Retrieved October 31, 2014, from Specky Boy website: http://speckyboy.com/2012/12/05/lego-sculptures/

Photo 6 Nintendo DSi . (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2014, from Sean Kenney.com website: http://www.seankenney.com/portfolio/nintendo_dsi/

Photo 7: Lego Art by Nathan Sawaya. (2010, March 28). Retrieved October 31, 2014, from 1 Design Per Day website: http://www.1designperday.com/2010/03/28/lego-art-by-nathan-sawaya/

Photo 8 : Berna, J. (2010, December 10). Nathan Sawaya – The Man, The Brick, The Legend! Retrieved October 31, 2014, from Wired website: http://archive.wired.com/geekmom/2010/12/nathan-sawaya-the-man-the-brick-the-legend/

References:

 Lego Art by Nathan Sawaya. (2010, March 28). Retrieved October 31, 2014, from 1 Design Per Day website: http://www.1designperday.com/2010/03/28/lego-art-by-nathan-sawaya/

Nintendo DSi . (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2014, from Sean Kenney.com website: http://www.seankenney.com/portfolio/nintendo_dsi/

Lego Art by Nathan Sawaya. (2010, March 28). Retrieved October 31, 2014, from 1 Design Per Day website: http://www.1designperday.com/2010/03/28/lego-art-by-nathan-sawaya/

Berna, J. (2010, December 10). Nathan Sawaya – The Man, The Brick, The Legend! Retrieved October 31, 2014, from Wired website: http://archive.wired.com/geekmom/2010/12/nathan-sawaya-the-man-the-brick-the-legend/