pumpkinstrokemarrow

Following the post on 13 June, I decided I could not wait for the relevant authorities to wake up to the ever growing groundswell of popular demand for subsidised jigsaws and bought my own arty jigsaw full price and new. The most expensive jigsaw I have ever bought: but then it did come, via the engagingly named Jigsaw Road, from Ravensburger in Germany, this despite the fact that the Ravensburger Corporation appear to live in New Hampshire. See http://www.ravensburger.com/us/start/index.html.

For once, and there appeared to be no choice about this, a 300 rather than 500 piece puzzle. But the thing was very nicely made with something copyrighted called 'Softclick' technology and generated very little of the blue gray jigsaw dust during the construction and deconstruction.

Started with the edge, as usual. Then instead of the skyline did the black/white boundary. Then the white face, hands and toes. Then the bouquet then the black face and then the black cat. Then the brown stripe (upper centre). Then the unclothed body, then the clothed body, then the bed linen. Finished off with the four islands of black, for which I did resort to sorting by shape of puzzle piece although there was enough variation that little trial and error was needed. Pieces very much of a size with just one large piece. Prong-hole-prong hole pieces in the majority but there were plenty of others.

Net result, I do now know this picture better. But not by that much: 300 pieces clearly not enough for the serious art lover. In token of which I observe that it is maybe 40 years since I last saw the very large original in the Jeu de Paume. Is the size the problem rather than the number of pieces? I think the building has been repurposed since with the pictures moved to a converted railway station; the French answer to a converted power station. And maybe 50 years since the picture was the subject of a short lecture from our art teacher, an engaging gent with the handle 'Tiddles' and who was most interested in the rendering of neck, hands and feet. Amongst other things, he thought that the neck was of unnatural length. Next stop, the 'Rokeby Venus'!

PS: read all about Ravensburg at http://www.stadt-ravensburg.de/. Interesting to see the stab that Google makes at translating a site like this. Far from perfect but jolly helpful none the less; quite good enough to get the idea about what is going on. Although there does not seem to be anything about Complex-J, presumably one of the town's big employers.