Ernesto builds Ed Sheeran in Lego

Ernesto builds Ed Sheeran in Lego

Artist Ernesto Lemke had two afternoons to recreate the portrait of Ed Sheeran (from the Icons exhibition) using his Lego blocks at the Fries Museum. He made significant progress.

GITTE BRUGMAN

The intention was for visitors of the Icons exhibition (featuring dozens of portraits from the National Portrait Gallery) to see Ernesto Lemke at work. But for the past two days, the Leeuwarden artist has been working in a very quiet Fries Museum. He was only accompanied by two security guards, a few journalists, and a communication staff member.

TUESDAY
12:00 PM: Eduard Rekker sets up a camera on a tripod and programs it to take a photo every 15 seconds. Together, these images will form a timelapse after two days, showing how the portrait of Ed Sheeran emerges under Lemke's hands at a rapid pace. His table could not be in the exhibition, as the portrait hangs in too narrow a space. So he now looks out over a dreary Wilhelminaplein.
12:20 PM: The beginning is there. Lemke has looked very closely at the copies of Sheeran's portrait and determined the position of the first eye. "The difficulty with brick painting (as he calls this technique) is that you can't sketch." He keeps the iris of the eye as deep as possible. "Preferably the plate itself," he says, tapping on the black background.
12:30 PM: Lemke occasionally takes a step back. Then he can – when looking through his eyelashes – get a sense of the depth in the portrait. The original was painted by Colin Davidson. The museum has been in contact with him, and the painter is enthusiastic. Now hoping that Sheeran also picks up the activities via social media.
2:05 PM: A few larger areas in beige, lilac, and pink form the first cheek of the singer. Between the eyes, Lemke indicates the bridge of the nose with a row of green circles. The second eye is in place, as well as part of the nose. The light falling on it has been captured in different shades of pink and white. "I mainly work in tones, not in the exact colors of the painting." That he is originally a painter helps enormously. "I find it interesting that I have to look for different solutions in this technique."
2:50 PM: Determining the correct position of the lips must wait until tomorrow. Just before Lemke leaves the museum, reporter Ilona de Vries stops by for Omrop Fryslân, and photographer Jacob van Essen wants to take pictures.

WEDNESDAY
12:00 PM: Lemke is now wedged between four cameras needed for the livestream. He had a restless night. "It was Lego Masters all over again. You are in a process, and it continues." In the photo of Sheeran on his phone, Lemke has made sketches with white stripes and squares. That provides support.
12:10 PM: Lemke makes some adjustments. The colors he uses for the skin, he does not want to apply to the hair. He has also changed one eye. "It looked like he was squinting." He has one more hour, this time with music. Then the livestream starts.
1:00 PM: Dozens of interested parties are signing in on Instagram and Facebook, with his own children being the first. Lemke waves briefly to the home front.
1:30 PM: The security guard on duty opens the door, and Lemke walks through Icons with his own work, followed by the cameraman. He explains why he did not choose the portrait of Lucian Freud or that of David Hockney, even though they are his great heroes. "Too little contrast." The resemblance to Sheeran's portrait is already visible.
2:00 PM: Questions are pouring in. 'Do you always work standing?' 'What will happen to the portrait?' 'How do you know where to place a block?' Lemke calmly explains everything. That you need to have knowledge of tones and colors, light and shadow. That he lays the work on the ground at home to have enough distance from the whole. And that the portrait – if it is finished this week – will hang in the museum or in the toy store Spellekijn.
3:00 PM: Hearts and thumbs up are still pouring in on social media. 'Beautiful... it looks like Van Gogh,' reads one comment. Artist Davidson also chimed in: 'Looking good!' Lemke is honored and thanks the artist briefly in English. One last photo in the room, and then he packs up his drawers. He finishes the portrait at home.