Nagel Commemorative: A LEGO® creation by Bricks Noir : MOCpages.com

Nagel Commemorative

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A Lego silhouette/mosaic.

About this creation

A reproduction of an untitled serigraph by Patrick Nagel.

For those of you unfamiliar with his work, Nagel was famous for his highly stylized renderings of beautiful women, often Playboy Playmates or celebrities. Though his career was fairly short, he was arguably one of the most innovative and influential artists of his era (Nagel died tragically at the age of 38, under circumstances that can only be described as incredibly ironic). During the 1980s, his artwork was almost ubiquitous, being featured in a number of well-known publications, including Playboy, Architectural Digest, and Rolling Stone, as well as on the cover of the Duran Duran album Rio. No 1980s-era bachelor pad was complete without a Nagel print hanging somewhere.

His style, which can be described as miminalist art deco, was supposedly influenced by traditional Japanese woodblock print artwork. He would start with a photograph of his subject and boil it down until he was left with just those details that he felt were absolutely necessary. Many modern artists, and even fashion designers, have drawn heavily from his style, including Luis Preciado, Robert Blue, Dennis Mukai, and Steve Leal. One doesn't have to search too far to find evidence of the lingering impact of his work - take a look at the beauty salon ads in your local paper and you're likely to see something that looks like a Nagel.

Nagel's women were invariably rendered with raven-black hair and skin as white as cocaine, and were usually placed against backgrounds with simple angular shapes. With their piercing stares (or, in some cases, dark sunglasses), his subjects almost always seemed to be coolly unapproachable and brashly self-confident. They typified the Cosmo girl of the 1980s, combining strength, sophistication, and glamour in one almost-unattainable package.

This is the first Nagel that I have reproduced, but I am fairly certain that it won't be the last, since I may have finally found the artist whose style and approach is most closely aligned with my own. I can only hope that at some point I'll be able to achieve the economy of detail and perspective that Nagel seemed to manage so effortlessly.

The full-resolution version of this picture can be found here.

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I made it

Bricks Noir

March 29, 2017

Quoting Yuri Fassio So expressive!

Thanks. I was hoping to be able to capture the "Nagel stare," because it is such a distinctive characteristic of his works.

I like it

Yuri Fassio

March 29, 2017

So expressive!

I made it

Bricks Noir

March 29, 2017

Quoting Allan Hall Had a look through your work, the brick has been hijacked. In the best possible way excellent art work.

Thanks. I'm not sure if I'd call it "hijacked,", but I am trying to use "the brick" in ways that no one has thought of yet.

I made it

Bricks Noir

March 29, 2017

Quoting Doug Hughes Ha, salon ads eh! That really does remind me of posters I've seen. Really incredible work on the face and makeup, and of course all the body shapes as usual.

Thanks. I didn't expect the face to come out as well myself, but sometimes things just come together serendipitously. That being said, my success on the face was due in some part to the fact that the face is a pretty large part of this mosaic. I am working on a project now in which the face is much smaller - perhaps half the size of this one - and I'd like to be able to get similar results.

I like it

Allan Hall

March 29, 2017

Had a look through your work, the brick has been hijacked. In the best possible way excellent art work.

I like it

Doug Hughes

March 19, 2017

Ha, salon ads eh! That really does remind me of posters I've seen. Really incredible work on the face and makeup, and of course all the body shapes as usual.

I made it

Bricks Noir

March 19, 2017

Quoting Marc dZ Just wooow! Beautiful. A Lego wonder.

Thanks. The face, and the eyes in particular (which are important for a Nagel), worked out as well as I could have hoped.

I like it

Marc dZ

March 19, 2017

Just wooow! Beautiful. A Lego wonder.

I made it

Bricks Noir

March 18, 2017

Quoting david drake Kismet! You and Nagel were artists of a feather! I am looking forward to more Nagelesque works from the studio of Bricks Noir! Maybe, just maybe more interested in more Nagels than in Bricks Noir sex scenes. maybe.

I had my eye on Nagel's works for a while, but, for a number of reasons, didn't think they would work as well as they have. I'm definitely planning to do more. In fact, I should be done with my next one within a few hours.

I like it

david drake

March 17, 2017

Kismet! You and Nagel were artists of a feather! I am looking forward to more Nagelesque works from the studio of Bricks Noir! Maybe, just maybe more interested in more Nagels than in Bricks Noir sex scenes. maybe.

I made it

Bricks Noir

March 16, 2017

Quoting James Douglas Great silluete ! I had never heard of nagel before. Keep up the good work!

Thanks. Try Googling Nagel - you might see something you recognize, at least in style.

I like it

James Douglas

March 16, 2017

Great silluete ! I had never heard of nagel before. Keep up the good work!

I made it

Bricks Noir

March 12, 2017

Quoting El Barto ! So cool! 80s rule!

Thanks. The 80s were great. I have a feeling that I may be drawing heavily from that era in the near future.

I made it

Bricks Noir

March 12, 2017

Quoting Marty Fields Excellent face/hair and hands. You have excelled yourself again.

Thanks. The face, and especially the eyes, came out pretty well on this mosaic. The rest is probably not as strong.

I like it

El Barto !

March 12, 2017

So cool! 80s rule!

I like it

Marty Fields

March 12, 2017

Excellent face/hair and hands. You have excelled yourself again.

I made it

Bricks Noir

March 11, 2017

Quoting Nick Barrett The style was immediately familiar, the execution flawless. Beautiful.

Thanks. Nagel'so style is certainly easy to recognize, and there have been many imitators since him.

I like it

Nick Barrett

March 11, 2017

The style was immediately familiar, the execution flawless. Beautiful.

I made it

Bricks Noir

March 10, 2017

Quoting Elk Guard Wonderful!

Thanks.

I made it

Bricks Noir

March 10, 2017

Quoting Gabor Pauler You again stepped a level in modeling mouth and eyes. Great job!

Thanks. The face was actually the first thing I worked on. Because it is the only feature that has much detail to it, I knew that getting it to look right would be important.