Can you recognize these masterpieces?

This seems like the Lego version of the Google Art Project.  

Can you guess the paintings that inspired the amazing print ads below?

If you're struggling, here's the list:

The series includes Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” (1505-1507), Vincent van Gogh’s “Self Portrait”, Grant Wood’s “American Gothic” (1930), Rene Magritte’s Johannes Le Fils de L’Homme (1964), Vermeer’s “Girl With A Pearl Earring” (1665) and “Lady With an Ermine”, a portrait of Cecilia Gallerani painted by Leonardo da Vinci (1489/1490).

The Personal Project

Over the weekend, I listened to the *excellent* podcast, Design Matters, with guest, Brian Singer.  While in art school, Brian became obsessed with bathroom stalls (that sound weird).  Okay, he became obsessed with the things written on bathroom stalls -- the public discourse that took place via sharpie markers.

After graduating, he wanted to make his own mobile "bathroom stall," so in 2000, he used his own money to launch 1000 journals into the orbit.  They've now been to 40 countries and every US state and have taken on a life of their own, which fortunately, has been captured in the documentary accurately named "1000 Journals".

From what I've gathered, a lot of creative people, like Brian, do personal projects, ranging from blogs like the Jealous Curator to calligraphy like the Daily Drop Cap to photography like A Collection a Day.  It's a way to build constraints and routine around a creative exercise.

I love how all these projects started without money in mind.  Instead, they wanted to release their talents in the wild -- into the unknown -- standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon and setting free your creations into the vast beyond.

Don't we all want to experience something like that?