ROME Axel Witsel World Cup Jersey , Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Some 80 sculptures, over 600,000 tiny plastic bricks of every color assembled, and recreations of some of the world's most iconic masterpieces.
"The Art of the Brick" exhibit of American Nathan Sawaya opened in Rome on Oct. 28, giving Italians a taste of how artistic inspiration can mingle with playfulness, and pour out through a most "surprising" material.
"The exhibition captures people's curiosity and imagination, and is being shown for the first time in Italy. So far, Rome's audience has surely met our expectations Zakaria Bakkali Jersey ," Italian curator Fabio La Gioia told Xinhua.
Visitors in the first week surpassed 16,000, and were expected to reach 20,000 with the second weekend of opening.
The creations of the New York-based artist were staged at Spazio Eventi SET Gallery over 1,200 metres, allowing each sculpture the necessary space to surprise, and maybe inspire, adults and younger ones.
The exhibition included recreations of classic painting such as Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa Yannick Carrasco Belgium Jersey , the Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Kiss by Gustav Klimt, Rembrandt's Self Portrait, and Eduard Munch's The Scream.
All of them made of a material as unconventional for the art as familiar from many people's childhood.
"Nathan's work makes us forget the sculptures are made just of Lego, irrespective of the visitor's age," La Gioia explained.
"You know it, you actually see the Lego bricks, but then you are overcome by imagination and the feelings each sculpture is able to stir. This process is very typical of art."
Visitors could also enjoy iconic classical artworks such as Michelangelo's David and Venus de Milo Toby Alderweireld Belgium Jersey , and the Parthenon.
Yet, a consistent part of The Art of the Brick exhibit was actually made of original creations, some of them conceptual, some more ironical and playful.
The Italian curator indeed mentioned one of those to explain why he wanted to bring Sawaya's work to Italians.
"One of the sculptures shows this yellow man whose arms are stretched out to form a ladder, which is going upwards," La Gioia said.
The meaning of the work was that strength to overcome life's obstacles and achieve our goals would be just within us, according to the artist.
"It is a sophisticate concept that goes far beyond the recreational nature (of a Lego sculpture); it is a reflection on the human condition, which is the best thing art can offer us."
Further items showed a yellow man ripping his chest open Thomas Vermaelen Belgium Jersey , a blue man sitting with a contemplative air, and an amazing six-metres skeleton dinosaur constructed from 80,020 Lego bricks.
"One of my aims as an art curator is to reconnect Italy to a certain kind of artistic expression that is less common for us," La Gioia further explained.
"Italians are very much attached to their ancient cultural heritage and classical arts, and sometimes miss newest forms of artistic expressions, even though they might find them awesome when they see them in New York, London, or other modern cities."
Sawaya's artwork would entail something that Romans Thomas Meunier Belgium Jersey , and Italians overall, could not deprive themselves of, the curator added.
"Everything able to stir an emotion of big surprise is welcomed in Italy, and even more so if there is a deep cultural content behind the artistic creation, since Italians study a lot about creativity, human civilization, and arts through history," he said.
The exhibition, which has toured through Asia, Australia, America, and some countries in Europe, will last in Rome until Feb. 14.
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KHARTOUM, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese government on Mondaylaunched a campaign for collecting arms and unlicensed vehicles inSudan's Darfur region Sven Kums Belgium Jersey , Sudan Tribune reported.
Sudan's Vice President Hasabo Mohamed Abdul-Rahman made theannouncement during a meeting with army and security chiefs, aswell as local officials, amid his visit to El Fasher, capital ofNorth Darfur State.
""The Presidency of the Republic has granted a mandate to allforces to confiscate unlicensed cars without compensation and alsofirearms,"" Abdul-Rahman was quoted as saying.
""The intensive spread of arms in Darfur constitutes the biggestthreat to the country,"" he said, adding that ""as of today, we willnot allow any person other than the regular forces to carryarms.""
The vice president reiterated that the entry of unlicensed carsinto the country has harmed the national economy.
During a visit to Darfur states last year Simon Mignolet Belgium Jersey , Sudanese PresidentOmar al-Bashir stressed the country's determination to collect armsin the region and divided the project into two phases, the firstthrough financial compensation for each piece collected and thesecond through a compulsory law that included punishment to theviolators.
Earlier, the government announced formation of a High Committeefor collection of arms and unlicensed vehicles. Enditem
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NEW YORK, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks opened lower on Thursday as Wall Street shifted its attention to a batch of weaker-than-expected economic data.
U.S. consumer prices in January posted their biggest drop since 2008 as gasoline prices continued to tumble, which could provide ammunition to Federal Reserve to keep interest rates low a bit longer.
The Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers declined 0.7 percent in January on a seasonally adjusted basis, said the U.S. Labor Department Thursday. The core CPI, the key figure that excludes food and energy prices, rose 0.2 percent in January.
In the week ending Feb. 21 Romelu Lukaku Belgium Jersey , the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 313,000, an increase of 31,000 from the previous week's revised level, announced the Labor Department before the opening bell. Analysts had expected the figure to increase moderately to 285,000.