COMMENTARY: I Don’t Know Art, But I Know What I Like (and That Includes Books about Lego)

Everybody loves Lego. But naturally, not everyone loves it in the same way. For some, what they find most appealing is the look of the bricks, which can capture the shape of an object—whether we’re talking about the Empire State Building or the Batmobile—while retaining an element of whimsy. For others, what makes Lego so awesome is the infinite number of possibilities it presents; that is, the fact that with enough pieces (and the right ones), a person can construct whatever they want. The only limiting factor is one’s imagination.

SteampunkLegoCoverWith the approach of the holiday season, we’ve been seeing a lot more books dedicated to Lego. DK Publishing has released a pair of reference tomes for both the Lego Architecture and Lego Ninjago lines. Meanwhile, No Starch Press has unveiled new books focused on either specific Lego lines, or aimed at a very particular type of enthusiast. The latter type includes Steampunk Lego, from Guy Himber, which shows off homemade Lego masterpieces built in Victorian-era fantasy style. These works, which come from all over, include airships, steam-powered trains, robots, and more.

BeautifulLego2DarkThey are also an interesting departure from what came before. Up until now, the vast majority of Lego-centric books were how-to guides with projects that anyone could build. The latest wave, however, seem more interested in depicting Lego sculptures as bonafide works of art, grouping them by artist or similar theme, and often surrounding them with dramatic lighting or backgrounds. For example, No Starch’s recent, Beautiful Lego 2: Dark, by Mike Doyle, has darkly-toned Lego builds that run the gamut from darkly humorous to creepy, to ones that are downright disturbing. The end result are Lego constructs fit to be stared at, talked about, and reflected upon regarding the artist’s technique, but not necessarily replicated.

Pardon me for indulging my inner coffeehouse-intellectual art critic, but I’d say that the more recent books reflect a shift in emphasis from the toys to the builders; that is, whereas the impetus had been on hinting at the endless possibilities that Lego unlocks, it’s now focused on showing exactly what an unlocked mind can accomplish. Each of the aforementioned books is almost like a fanzine dedicated to a particular segment of Lego builders, insofar as the depth of information provided. In Pawel Kmiec’s Incredible Lego Technic, for example, each of his curated models is accompanied by specs, photos taken from multiple angles, and insights about the challenges faced by the artists. The books’ authors also go out of their way to emphasize the sense of community that exists around Lego builders.

Yellow, a Lego sculpture by Nathan Sawaya (PRNewsFoto/Discovery Times Square)
Yellow, a Lego sculpture by Nathan Sawaya (PRNewsFoto/Discovery Times Square)

But why the sudden interest in legitimizing the Lego artist and his/her work? I’m sure part of it has to do with Nathan Sawaya, who in recent years gave credibility to Lego as an artistic medium thanks to his unique sculptures. Personally, I believe the shift also reflects the increasing popularity of hacking culture, as all over the world–whether the medium is Ikea furniture, video games, and yes, even toys–consumers are more interested than ever in using objects in ways that differ from how manufacturers intended.

Growing up, I knew of hobbyists who would de-construct, re-paint, and otherwise rebuild action figures to look like licensed characters that didn’t yet exist as toys. It seemed like a highly unusual practice at the time, but the Internet has only made such persons more mainstream. How mainstream has toy-hacking gotten? Lego even hosts a site, Lego Ideas, which encourages this type of activity by offering fan the possibility of seeing their build become an official Lego product.

When I first heard about the site, I thought it was the greatest idea ever, because people for the most part, no matter who they are or where they’re living, don’t like being told what to do. But for a book publisher, that would also appear to present problems. You may be able to construct just about anything from Lego, but how do you convey that idea convincingly–at least, in a book that isn’t an infinite number of pages long? The answer, it would appear, is to make books that are less prescriptive, and more like celebrations of just how far self-expression can extend.

By focusing on specific themes like steampunk, the macabre, etc., publishers such as No Starch hint at a more general truth, which is people have an infinite capacity for thinking outside the proverbial box, even when their medium is as box-shaped as a Lego brick.

For more commentary from Phil, check back often. Views expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Toy Book as a whole. We hope that you will share your comments and feedback below. Until next time!

About the author

Phil Guie

Phil Guie

Phil Guie is an associate editor at Adventure Publishing Group. He writes and edits articles for The Toy Book and The Licensing Book. Phil also serves as lead editor for The Toy Book Blog and The Toy Report newsletter, and manages social media for The Toy Book. But of course, Phil’s pride and joy are his weekly reviews for The Toy Insider, in which he writes about video games, movies, and other cool things. His hobbies include comics, baking, fidgeting, and traveling to off-the-beaten places and making new friends.

archivearrow-chevron-downarrow-chevron-left-greyarrow-chevron-leftarrow-chevron-rightarrow-fatarrow-left-blackarrow-left-whitearrow-right-blackarrow-rightarrow-roundedbookscalendarcaret-downclose-whiteclosedocumenteditorial-archiveeyefacebook-squarefacebookfilesgifthamburgerheadinghearthomeinstagram-squareinstagramlatestlinkedin-squarelinkedinmailmedia-inquiresmessagenewsopen-boxpagination-leftpagination-rightpauseplayprintproduct-archiverecent-productssearchsharesort-filterspotifysunteamtiktoktime_purpletimetrendingtvtwitter-squaretwitteryoutube