LeBron James Rubik's Cube mural is latest phenomenal work of fan art (video)
The world is full of talented, creative people who come up with unique ideas and then execute them exquisitely.
Some of them are sports fans.
Italian-born artist and Rubik’s Cube whiz Giovanni Contardi is one of those people.
From Rubik’s Cube master to Rubik’s Cube artist
Contardi grew up as a competitive Rubik’s Cube solver, having completed his first puzzle at seven years old. He eventually went on to become an Italian and European champion of the Cube, setting multiple speedcube records in the process.
We’re not exactly sure what all of those records and championships entail. We just know we’re impressed with puzzle masters.
Now Contardi uses his Cube skills to make art. And it’s remarkable.
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Ode to LeBron
His latest work is a detailed portrait of LeBron James made out of 720 Rubik’s Cubes.
Check it out.
A post shared by Giovanni Contardi 🇮🇹 (@jvenb) on Feb 13, 2019 at 10:43am PST
How he does it … kind of
Metro profiled Contardi last August, and he provided some insight into his process.
“I start by printing off a photo of the celebrity I admire at the time – usually it’s someone from a TV series or film I’ve watched that week,” Contardi said. “I use a grid to divide the portrait into every single cube, so that is faster to reproduce. Then I get all the cubes ready in preparation before putting them into crates.
“The most enjoyable part is figuring out how to use oranges and reds to make definition in the face. That’s the most challenging thing and takes between an hour or two.”
An hour or two?!
Time well spent.
NBA game inspired LeBron portrait
Contardi describes having his “mind blown” by a live NBA game as his inspiration for the LeBron portrait.
“I saw my first live NBA game 2 years ago, and I was mind blown,” Contardi wrote. “Here’s my tribute to that experience.”
More Rubik’s Cube masterpieces
Contardi doesn’t stick to sports.
Some of his other works of Cube art include Bob Marley:
@bobmarley ~ 728 Rubik’s cubes. ❤️ Working hard for my future projects, exciting times ahead 🚀
A post shared by Giovanni Contardi 🇮🇹 (@jvenb) on Sep 25, 2018 at 6:26am PDT
Pennywise the clown:
A post shared by Giovanni Contardi 🇮🇹 (@jvenb) on Aug 14, 2018 at 1:00pm PDT
And Marylin Monroe:
A post shared by Giovanni Contardi 🇮🇹 (@jvenb) on Aug 7, 2018 at 11:04am PDT
He has several more on his Instagram page that are worth a look.
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