In His Largest LEGO Work But, Ai Weiwei Recreates Certainly one of Claude Monet’s Most Well-known Work — Colossal



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#Ai Weiwei
#artwork historical past
#impressionism
#Lego

Identified for incorporating recognizable, on a regular basis objects into monumental sculptures, Ai Weiwei (beforehand) has created acclaimed installations utilizing bicycles, life vests, and seeds and flowers made from porcelain that usually problem political points such because the social unrest of his native China, the worldwide refugee disaster, and themes of liberty and freedom of speech. Since 2014, he has utilized LEGO as a medium however not with out some controversy alongside the best way because of the political nature of his work. Now, Ai has accomplished his largest LEGO piece thus far in a recreation of “Water Lilies,” one in every of French Impressionist artist Claude Monet’s most iconic artworks.

Monet’s Water Lilies sequence was impressed by the artist’s backyard in Giverny, France, that includes a foot bridge over a pond teeming with wildlife. This idyllic setting was the design and creation of Monet himself, who on the flip of the twentieth century had the close by River Epte partially diverted with a purpose to carry his imaginative and prescient to life. Ai challenges our perceptions of pure magnificence and actuality, changing brush strokes with plastic bricks redolent of digital pixels, utilizing a extra saturated coloration palette, and embedding shadows that evoke a touch of unease.

Each accessible and recognizable, LEGO permits Ai to broach troublesome matters in a format that’s extra approachable. On the right-hand facet, he has positioned a darkish portal depicting the door to the underground dugout in Xinjiang Province the place he and his father, Ai Qing, lived in pressured exile within the Sixties.

Composed of practically 650,000 items in 22 colours, “Water Lilies #1” is a part of Ai Weiwei: Making Sense, the artist’s forthcoming exhibition at The Design Museum. which runs April 7 via July 30 in London. Comply with extra updates on Instagram.

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Native Artists Protest Racist NFL Mascots

#Ai Weiwei
#artwork historical past
#impressionism
#Lego

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