Creating LEGO Art 31213 Mona Lisa wasn’t without challenges
The LEGO Art design team faced a number of unique challenges when it came to actually creating the upcoming 31213 Mona Lisa.
Builders looking to get their hands on a different kind of LEGO set altogether should keep an eye out for 31213 Mona Lisa launching on October 1. The 1,503-piece model attempts to recreate Leonardo Da Vinci’s 500 year-old masterpiece in brick form, complete with printed eyes, blank pieces for an abstract appearance and a picture frame made from numerous drum-lacquered gold elements.
Ahead of 31213 Mona Lisa’s arrival, Brick Fanatics had the chance to chat with the LEGO Art design team and ask them about the challenges they encountered when it came to creating the model.
“Hokusai – The Great Wave was the first step where we started exploring masterpieces – works of art that were not the kind of traditional mosaics that we’d been doing for some time,” explained LEGO designer Milan Madge. “From there, we got really excited about all the possibilities we could do and when that set was released, a lot of people in the fan community got very excited as well. So we thought, okay, let’s tackle some other famous works of art.”
“With [31213 Mona Lisa] we had to not just replicate the piece, but start by having quite philosophical questions about abstraction of artwork and how does this look as a LEGO interpretation?”
“We started [the project] not by approaching it in a kind of realistic manner, if you like. We had maybe five or six very abstract concepts of what it could be at various sizes, from a one-to one-painting, all the way down to a little tiny thing.
From mosaics through to 3D builds and different colour palettes – how could we integrate ideas from a LEGO modern art set, where you could combine and rearrange things? We had a really broad spectrum of approaches and from there we just funnelled it down, landing on the one you see in the box today.”
“The first step with [constructing] the Mona Lisa was actually to build the canvas. Instead of just building little plates, you start with the whole canvas, and then you paint the Mona Lisa, and you paint by building it up in layers, with the face being the final details.
A lot of people know every single detail of exactly how [the Mona Lisa] should look, so in that sense, it was a challenge, but something we had a lot of fun trying to get right!”
31213 Mona Lisa launches online and in stores on October 1, priced at £89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99. You can find out everything you need to know about the upcoming LEGO art set in our full review and be sure to click through to place your pre-order for the brick-built masterpiece.
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Author Profile
- From video game journalism to kids’ publishing, I’ve been there, seen it, done it and worn the T-shirt. I was also the editor of the first-ever official LEGO magazine way back when, LEGO Adventures. I have a passion for movies, comic books, tech and video games, with a wallet that’s struggling to keep up with my LEGO set wish list.
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News14/09/2024Creating LEGO Art 31213 Mona Lisa wasn’t without challenges
