Review: 21333 The Starry Night
Posted by CapnRex101,
LEGO Ideas presents an opportunity to produce something completely unique. 21333 The Starry Night certainly appears creative, unlike anything developed before! The design presents fantastic texture, recreating the drama that characterises Vincent van Gogh's artwork.
Moreover, this beautiful recreation of The Starry Night employs various interesting construction techniques, originating directly from Truman Cheng's popular Ideas submission. Few adjustments to this project have proven necessary and I am therefore pleased that LEGO has retained the unique character of Truman's design.
Summary
21333 Vincent van Gogh - The Starry Night, 2,316 pieces.
£149.99 / $169.99 / €169.99 | 6.5p/7.3c/7.3c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Unique within the LEGO portfolio, 21333 The Starry Night looks absolutely stunning!
- Outstanding texture and colours
- Creative building techniques
- Highly-detailed minifigure
- Superfluous minifigure stand
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Box and Contents
The dark 18+ packaging suits 21333 The Starry Night because this colourful painting contrasts beautifully against its backdrop. Museum of Modern Art branding is displayed underneath, where the original artwork is found. Opening the box reveals twenty bags, numbered between one and nine, alongside the 240-page instruction manual.
Information about Vincent van Gogh and The Starry Night is presented inside, describing its creation at the Saint Paul-de-Mausole asylum and various important features of this painting. The fan designer, Truman Cheng, also describes how the LEGO interpretation of Van Gogh's artwork was developed, before model designer Søren Gehlert Dyrhøj and graphic designer Niken Ayumurti Hartomo revised his creation for release.
Minifigure
Truman Cheng's original submission included Vincent van Gogh in minifigure form and I am pleased this was retained, joining the limited selection of minifigures depicting real individuals! Vincent's famed ginger hair is immediately recognisable and I think orange was an appropriate colour choice for its vibrancy, even though dark orange is more common.
The medium azure jacket takes inspiration from Van Gogh's 1889 self-portrait, even retaining distinctive white brush strokes from the painting. The design looks excellent and choosing this portrait was logical, since The Starry Night was also painted during 1889. Moreover, decoration continues on both arms and the legs, which further improves an already impressive minifigure.
Naturally, the painter includes a paintbrush and printed palette. Similar accessories have been produced before, although these feature unique colours to reflect the combination of blues and yellows from The Starry Night. Such attention to detail is exceptional and this equipment ideally complements the minifigure.
Construction
This model provides a remarkably varied building experience, beginning with relatively simple stacking of bricks with studs on the side, before assembling a stepped landscape. The curved slopes situated here represent a rare instance of standard vertical construction along the base, which is predominantly assembled sideways.
Layered plates comprise the neighbouring section, forming an incredibly dense structure. The combination of different shades of blue is effective, with scattered olive green, sand green and dark green accents forming trees. Placing those 2x2 round plates and 1x1 quarter circle tiles is rather repetitive, but quickly completed.
The vacant brackets and bricks with studs on the side are soon occupied by buildings, shown below. Afterwards, this structure is secured to the earlier assembly, which feels very satisfying. The construction methods noticeably differ between sections, recreating similar variation across Van Gogh's painting!
The sky comprises 49 layers of predominantly 1x2 plates and 1x4 plates. The combination of dark blue, blue, medium azure and dark azure elements again reflects the blended shades on the original painting. Assembling these layers requires particular attention because they appear very similar while building and several plates are left over, as intentional spares.
Contrasting with the elaborate landscape and sky, the frame is constructed using larger bricks and slopes. This avoids distracting attention from The Starry Night and provides great strength. However, you can detach the image from its frame quite easily, should you wish to build another version of the frame.
Several brackets and 2x2 round jumper plates remain conspicuous across the sky. These are needed to secure the printed stars and swirling texture, which again consists of layered plates. The layers surrounding the moon are particularly clever, attached in four directions and forming concentric swirls, which closely resemble those on Van Gogh's classic artwork.
Finally, attention returns to the foreground. The cypress tree is attached to the yellow Technic brick visible in several above images, while the nearest buildings are connected using clips to create an accurate angle. This tree involves building in two directions, with 5x2x1 1/3 brackets mounted back to back at its core.
Reference
Source - Moma.org
The Completed Model
Vincent van Gogh's famous impasto technique, characterised by thick application of paint, is perfectly-suited to LEGO and I think this model looks marvellous. The physical depth cleverly recreates texture from the original artwork and the size is appropriate for display too, reaching 38cm across and nearly 29cm in height.
The model includes a platform to present Vincent van Gogh beside his minifigure-scale version of The Starry Night. This is connected beneath the landscape using a Technic beam and looks rather awkward, although the printed painting includes impressive detail. The adjustable easel looks brilliant too, but I prefer to display The Starry Night without the attached platform.
Fortunately, that option is available because the Technic beam can be removed. The support underneath remains though and can be connected in two positions, underneath the church or the trees in the right corner. Both options feel secure and I am pleased the support is relatively subtle, somewhat blending into shadows beneath the landscape.
The village in the foreground was imagined by Van Gogh, containing a church, surrounded by other buildings. These include bright colours and contrast against their immediate background, although the same shades are present elsewhere across the painting. That cleverly reflects the limited colour palette of the original artwork and I am pleased with the striped roofs, which also seem perfectly accurate.
Cypress trees appear in many of Vincent van Gogh's paintings and this example presents an interesting challenge to the designer, lacking vibrant colour. Nevertheless, the LEGO colour palette includes multiple shades of brown and green, which are combined to brilliant effect. Furthermore, the flame-like shape of this cypress tree corresponds with the source material.
The most celebrated feature of The Starry Night is undoubtedly the sky, as Van Gogh's swirling brush strokes present an impression of chaotic movement. Those swirls are cleverly recreated using several assemblies of stacked plates, arranged to form accurate shapes. The prominent texture suits Van Gogh's impasto paint application and this mixture of colours looks marvellous.
Several printed dishes are situated here. The original submission lacked these printed pieces and looked excellent without them, although the continued presence of Van Gogh's distinctive brushstrokes ensures continuity between brick-built and printed details. The moon looks lovely, alongside white, trans-light blue and trans-blue stars, while Venus is found beside the cypress tree.
The reverse is inevitably plain, but certainly not untidy. The hanger component is fixed behind the painting and feels secure, so the whole assembly can be mounted on the wall. This option seems most suitable for The Starry Night, although I can imagine any crevices surrounding the village becoming very dusty if not frequently cleaned.
Overall
21333 The Starry Night looks absolutely spectacular, cleverly conveying the motion and depth apparent in Vincent van Gogh's original painting. The texture appears incredibly effective and I like the colour scheme, which balances muted tones with bright colour. Additionally, the varying construction methods are enjoyable, unlike anything found in other LEGO sets.
The exclusive Vincent van Gogh minifigure and accompanying version of The Starry Night are also welcome, even though their integration with the model could be improved. However, I am otherwise delighted with this unusual Ideas model and I think the price of £149.99, $169.99 or €169.99 represents fair value, so would definitely recommend the set.
261 likes
59 comments on this article
The minifigure is inaccurate. Van Gogh only lost one ear, not both.
Again, getting used to this prices: '170 euro represents fair value..' for a rather flat piece consisting of a lot of 1x2 and 1x4 plates.....
@TheEpicLuke said:
"The minifigure is inaccurate. Van Gogh only lost one ear, not both."
Haha I was going to say that! Nice one :)
The build was refined a bit in places and the changing to printed dishes took out some of the messiness from the original submission and I think took some of the charm away, but I still enjoy the set/concept.
Absolutely beautiful with an incredible minifigure. I hope this becomes a series. The Lego team nailed the fan-designed intent. Really well done.
This is so coming home on Day 1.
This is the first Ideas set I feel looks BETTER than the original idea while staying very accurate to the original idea build.
I do actually need some new art for my room so this is tempting. Although I'm dissuaded by it inevitably becoming one giant dust magnet if it's on constant display.
Great review of a fantastic set. Can't wait to build it for myself!
I might have to dig deep into my pockets for this one!
@TheEpicLuke said:
"The minifigure is inaccurate. Van Gogh only lost one ear, not both."
He was also very neglected for what he truly did in his time, people hated his paintings until after death.
Add another $150 and you get the wicked plastic case for it. Then add another $100 for a lighting system and you get a properly visible dust-free piece of art for the price or a real piece of art (not a real Van Gogh though!!!) For non-UK people add another $150 for shipping fees/customs etc.
This set is growing on me. Had no interest before but might consider it. I'll see what it looks like in person next time I go to the Lego store.
Definitely must have!
I'll buy it, build it, hang it on a wall until I get tired of looking at it (and/or need the space for something else) and then I'll be left with a darn good part selection...
What more can you ask for from a Lego set?
@HOBBES said:
"Add another $150 and you get the wicked plastic case for it. Then add another $100 for a lighting system and you get a properly visible dust-free piece of art for the price or a real piece of art (not a real Van Gogh though!!!) For non-UK people add another $150 for shipping fees/customs etc.
This set is growing on me. Had no interest before but might consider it. I'll see what it looks like in person next time I go to the Lego store. "
Yes, I agree—this one's going to require a nice, softly-lit shadowbox kind of approach. Done right it could be really great.
This set is why I love Ideas.
I don't think I $170 like it, but I think it's fantastic it exists.
I'd buy that for a dollar! be more than that but lol, but does look good and will be a right dust trap though!!
Pretty cool! I just love that it's not a flat mosaic like with the art sets, but has quite a bit of depth to it. And while I do feel it is a rather pricey for what you get, at least they didn't cut any corners. Well done!
Wow! This looks fantastic. Can't wait to build it. Love these textured builds.
I love the unique frame, it further distinguishes this piece from the typical LEGO Art piece. And fans can rejoice at the introduction of 79756 and 79757 in black.
I can't wait to see the version someone modifies to include the TARDIS.
I'm pretty sure I'm ordering this next Wednesday the 25th when VIP can begin purchasing. Now I need to find a spot to put it...
@CCC said:
"It's certainly clever and different. But like all the art sets I'm not sure what I'd do with them. I prefer real art for my walls and more 3D play/display sets for cabinets. "
This IS real art!
;-)
Absolutely love this.
The printed dishes I feel take something away from the original submission--I loved how he approximated the texture with 1x2 grill tiles. Using printed pieces almost feels a bit like cheating. It's still a gorgeous set, though, and unlike anything I've ever seen from Lego. Very cool.
When was the last time Lego included a church in a set? I remember seeing one from the 50s or 60s, does that make this set the first one in 60+ years, or have there been others between?
Nice. But expensive.
Would like to see a van Gogh's Sunflowers in Lego in a similar style.
Sorry Mick... you've just been overtaken by Vince. I'll be painting my palette blue and gray, while I'm looking out on a summer's day. Any black painting will have to wait...
Superb.
Not sure what I'll do with my 3rd cardboard adventure though!
Looks lovely and I’m really tempted, although not sure I can manage this and the Delorean this year.
This is a beautiful set, to the point of being its own art. However, my Lego collection display will prevent me from having it, as I think it'll just get lost with the other Lego sets on display and will lose the charm of buying made with Lego bricks. Having said that, I think it's the perfect gift for any art lover who's not collecting Lego. Having this displayed by its own will be amazing. First time I feel bummed for having too many sets on display. Might get this for my dad, who's a Van Gogh fan, and just keep the figure and mini painting.
@ra226 said:
"The printed dishes I feel take something away from the original submission--I loved how he approximated the texture with 1x2 grill tiles. Using printed pieces almost feels a bit like cheating. It's still a gorgeous set, though, and unlike anything I've ever seen from Lego. Very cool."
I think on account of the radial nature of the objects the printed dishes are representing (in conjunction with the more competent use of curved slopes throughout the entire model), it was a fair decision to go with the dishes. The grilles just don't do it for me.
Dang that was quick… not that I don’t know the process, but just dang…
Can the point of the leftover pile be explained further? Is it a hint to start "painting" over the original yourself? Is it so people don't have to fix their building mistakes? Even though I don't get how having more parts fixes this and wouldn't cause more anxiety.
This minifigure is getting displayed in my TARDIS alongside the 11th Doctor…
" the limited selection of minifigures depicting real individuals "
I was today years old when I learned they made a minifigure of Will.i.am in 2018.
@blogzilly said:
"This minifigure is getting displayed in my TARDIS alongside the 11th Doctor…"
We NEED a sunflower painting with "For Amy" at the bottom, or a exploding TARDIS picture.
@bobaphat107 said:
"Again, getting used to this prices: '170 euro represents fair value..' for a rather flat piece consisting of a lot of 1x2 and 1x4 plates....."
Agreed. :/
@Zackula said:
"When was the last time Lego included a church in a set? I remember seeing one from the 50s or 60s, does that make this set the first one in 60+ years, or have there been others between?"
Venice skyline has one.
Can we just have a bit of a shout out for Nathan Sawaya, the artist who works mainly with Lego (his most famous work is the "Yellow" sculpture of a Lego figure pulling his chest open to reveal Lego bricks falling out).
He recreated Starry Night along with a series of other famous painting for his "Art of the Brick" exhibition a few years ago
His version of the painting is visible in this article about the exhibition https://www.scoutmag.ph/1309/nathan-sawaya-recreates-famous-paintings-using-lego-bricks/
@LegoSonicBoy said:
"I think on account of the radial nature of the objects the printed dishes are representing (in conjunction with the more competent use of curved slopes throughout the entire model), it was a fair decision to go with the dishes. The grilles just don't do it for me."
That's fair--the model looks great with the dishes, I just would have preferred the "pure lego" design of the grill tiles. The curved slopes I think were a good choice and completely agree on that one. It really is a nit-pick, though--the set looks fantastic.
This whole thing looked jumbled to me in the first image, but it very quickly turned into real art to me.
If I can afford it after buying all the new Star Wars sets I want, I will give this Ideas set a chance.
I'm impressed with the final version--in particular the revision of the moon--although the original stars with the 1x2 grilles were also very appealing. I don't think I ever realized how much depth there was to this model! Another for the instant-buy list, and thank you for the excellent review, CapnRex!
I think this is absolutely amazing.
Last year, I went to the "Van Gogh Interactive" exhibit, that was on in my corner of Australia in November. There was a starry-night infinity room, a sunflowers infinity room -- both of which were very cool -- but the main attraction was this gigantic warehouse-sized space, with these huge floor-to-ceiling screens, showing this half-hour presentation on Van Gogh's life. But it was animated, and various scents wafted through the room for the different places where Van Gogh lived.
The ticket was expensive, but to me, it was one of those once-in-a-lifetime things, and I had such a profound, amazing experience that day. I remember saying to one of my friends, "This is so moving", and I got home and cried my eyes out. Like, it really affected me, in ways that I wasn't prepared for and didn't expect.
This is a beautiful piece of art, paying tribute to one of the most famous paintings in the history of European art. The man painted an iconic version of the night sky, using barely a drop of black paint. Like, who would think to even do that?
I love this. It's a day-one purchase for me.
@Mister_Jonny said:
"I do actually need some new art for my room so this is tempting. Although I'm dissuaded by it inevitably becoming one giant dust magnet if it's on constant display."
if the dust prefers to settle there, use several of those in hidden places as traps. rest of the room will be like a cleanroom.
This is, what Lego Art should have been
I have been eagerly waiting for this Ideas set to be released. Since the first time I saw this on Ideas, I have wanted it. This final version of it looks great, even though I would have bought it just as it was originally.
This is hopefully a day one purchase, or as soon as it's back in stock purchase.
As for being a dust magnet, all LEGO is a dust magnet. Whether it's very flat DOT art, static displays, modulars or even vehicles. LEGO pieces collect dust from the moment the packages are opened. I really don't recall anybody noting this as an issue when reviewing sets such as The Millenium Falcon or our beloved modulars, so why now?
With the Van Gogh museum around the corner, I'd love to have this one on display at home.
Here in the Netherlands I would think that the Sunflowers or Potatoe Eaters would be the most famous paintings.
Yep, yep, yep. I need this. Well done. Can NOT resist. Will try to wait so I don’t end up missing (due to too much money spent on plastic toys) like @blogzilly.
Fantastic set, but I’m not sure I like how it protrudes from the frame. I think it should have been inset or the frame should have been angled.
Regardless, this is 1000 times better than any mosaic. I hope that this becomes the future of Lego Art.
@TheEpicLuke said:
"The minifigure is inaccurate. Van Gogh only lost one ear, not both."
in fact, he didn't loose any....
Apart from that: zero interest.
I dont like the 3D-aspect, I don't like the printed dishes, and truly, I wonder if many people are even going to recognize what this is, when the minifigure is not displayed along side with it...
@PjtorXmos said:
" This is, what Lego Art should have been"
I agree, but Lego Art is still fine
@Anonym said:
"Can the point of the leftover pile be explained further? Is it a hint to start "painting" over the original yourself? Is it so people don't have to fix their building mistakes? Even though I don't get how having more parts fixes this and wouldn't cause more anxiety."
Apparently, it’s very easy to make a mistake and put a piece that’s the wrong shade of blue. Once you realise your mistake, you may be quite a bit further along in the build and be frustrated by having to undo what you’ve done to fix it. The theory is that the extra parts are to allow you to continue even if you’ve goofed without having to go back.
If I were building this set - and I suspect for most Bricksetters - I wouldn’t need the spares as I either already have them or can get them easily and cheaply on BrickLink. But that’s not so likely or straightforward for a PAFOL (Potential AFOL) who is rediscovering LEGO for the first time since childhood or new to the brick altogether.
@TheEpicLuke said:
"The minifigure is inaccurate. Van Gogh only lost one ear, not both."
He didn't loose it. He cut a piece off during one of his manic episodes.
Looks good, well recreated in bricks. Not the set I am looking for but I can see people wanting this instead of a poster copy of the painting.
Offtopic question: Any reviews of the new Ninjago Crystalize sets in the making?
Well that’s bloody gorgeous!
I wish his ear was bandaged
I ruddy well love this!
@HOBBES said:
"
This set is growing on me. Had no interest before but might consider it. I'll see what it looks like in person next time I go to the Lego store. "
I'm the opposite. I don't like to see builds, in the flesh, until I have built them myself. I find it to be a kind of a spoiler.
I'm in two minds about this. From some aspects it looks very clever and appealing, from others it looks the opposite. The price is also a consideration, when I take into account what else I would like to receive this year and what I might have to buy myself, when I've only just recouped the money from the Colosseum. Yet I suppose it could have been worse.
Thanks for the original picture to appreciate how difficult this is to translate into Lego. The village and tree is very well done, even better than the original! Unsure about the clouds in the sky as reminds me of a Tsunami wave about to crash into the beach, although trying to build all at the same level may have been too difficult and the Lego artist is always allowed their own interpretation and to increase the prominence of certain features.
@BelgianBricker said:
" @TheEpicLuke said:
"The minifigure is inaccurate. Van Gogh only lost one ear, not both."
in fact, he didn't loose any....
Apart from that: zero interest.
I dont like the 3D-aspect, I don't like the printed dishes, and truly, I wonder if many people are even going to recognize what this is, when the minifigure is not displayed along side with it..."
Your ZERO likes mean you are alone in your thoughts and dislike here!
This is an awesome set, beautifully done, and admired even by collectors of very different genres such as Star Wars
Anyone with even a passing interest in art, or who even a slight bit of cultural experience or knowledge, would recognise this artwork, with or without the minifig!
What are they teaching in Belgian schools these days?!?!?…..
I plan to add a shelf beside this set on the wall, to hold the minifigure and my Van Gogh Funko Pop! Next I'm doing an embroidery of the Starry Night, and my tablet case I've had forever is covered in Starry Night! I think someone's a fan, lol! Been waiting for so long for this, and its even better than expected!