2000 piece puzzle, "Riding on the Neva" by A.P. Bogolyubov, Stella, Russia.
This puzzle wasn't the most exciting one I've ever done, but I love the finished picture with its huge expanse of sky and frozen waterway. These silvery blue colors of winter are certainly in season where I live.
One may assume that the puzzle was a serious challenge due to all the sky pieces; however, the cut is quite easy. These Stella puzzles are manufactured by Polish brand Trefl, and the various sizes have different types of cuts. They are all similar in that the corners line up perfectly (with a very few exceptions which may have been unintentional) and the x- and y- axes waver or undulate slightly. But the 2000 piece size notably has a more wavy design than the 1000, 1500 or 3000 sizes; this waviness results in some pieces being quite large, some very small, some quite rectangular and some very square. This same tendency was noted recently by Russian puzzler and Stella fan Ashk.
Therefore, this puzzle was in fact easier (2.4/10) than the 1000 piece Stella I completed just before this one (3.0/10), demonstrating that size is but one factor in determining puzzle difficulty.
Alexey Petrovich Bogolyubov (1824 - 1896) was a Russian landscape painter.
Bogolyubov was born in the Pomeranie village of Novgorod Gubernia. His father was retired colonel Pyotr Gavriilovich Bogolyubov. Bogolyubov's maternal grandfather was the well-known philosopher and social critic Alexander Radishchev.
In 1841, Alexey graduated from military school, serving in the Russian Navy and travelling with the fleet to many countries. In 1849, he started to attend classes of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, where he studied under Maxim Vorobiev. The young painter was greatly influenced by Ivan Ayvazovsky. In 1853, he finished the Academy with a major Gold medal. He retired as a navy officer and was appointed an artist to the Navy headquarters.
From 1854 to 1860, he travelled around Europe and worked prolifically. In Rome, he was acquainted with Alexander Ivanov, who convinced Bogolyubov to focus more on drawing. In Düsseldorf, Bogolyubov took classes from the painter Andreas Achenbach. In Paris, he admired the artists of the Barbizon School. French painters Camille Corot and Charles-François Daubigny were good friends and collaborators with Bogolyubov. He also painted the frescoes in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
Bogolyubov returned to Russia in 1860. He exhibited his works in the Academy and received the title of professor. For some time, he taught in the Academy. In the 1860s, he traveled along the Volga. His paintings lost all traces of Romanticism, replacing that element with staunch realism of the natural. In 1871 he was elected to the Imperial Academy of Arts.
From 1870, he became close to the Wanderers art movement, participated in all their exhibitions. He became a member of their board. Much older than most of the other members of the movement, he had reservations on their social ideas. In 1873, Bogolyubov left the Academy in solidarity with his fellow Itinerants. He even tried to create an alternative Russian Academy of Arts in Rome.
After 1873, Bogolyubov lived primarily in Paris, because of his heart condition. His house was like a Russian colony: frequent visitors included Ivan Turgenev, Ilya Yefimovich Repin, Vasily Polenov, Mark Antokolski, Vasili Vasilyevich Vereshchagin.
In 1885, Bogolyubov opened an art museum in Saratov, the Radischev Art Museum, named after his grandfather. It was opened to the general public seven years earlier than the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and fifteen years earlier than the Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg. The naming of the museum after the "first Russian revolutionary", Alexander Radishchev, was a direct challenge to the authorities: Bogolyubov had to endure a legal battle to get permission.
Bogolyubov died on 3 February 1896 in Paris. After his death, Bogolyubov left all his money and capital (around 200 thousand Russian rubles (approximately US$6 million)) to the museum and its painting school. The school was opened after Bogolyubov's death and named Bogolyubov's Painting School. Among painters who attended Bogolyubov's School were such important modernist painters as Victor Borisov-Musatov, Alexei Karev and Pavel Kuznetsov.
Completed in 13 hr., 12 mins. with no box reference. 2,000 total pieces: 23.8 secs./piece; 151.5 pcs./hr. Difficulty rating: 2.4/10.
2000 piece puzzle, "Riding on the Neva" by A.P. Bogolyubov, Stella, Russia.
This puzzle wasn't the most exciting one I've ever done, but I love the finished picture with its huge expanse of sky and frozen waterway. These silvery blue colors of winter are certainly in season where I live.
One may assume that the puzzle was a serious challenge due to all the sky pieces; however, the cut is quite easy. These Stella puzzles are manufactured by Polish brand Trefl, and the various sizes have different types of cuts. They are all similar in that the corners line up perfectly (with a very few exceptions which may have been unintentional) and the x- and y- axes waver or undulate slightly. But the 2000 piece size notably has a more wavy design than the 1000, 1500 or 3000 sizes; this waviness results in some pieces being quite large, some very small, some quite rectangular and some very square. This same tendency was noted recently by Russian puzzler and Stella fan Ashk.
Therefore, this puzzle was in fact easier (2.4/10) than the 1000 piece Stella I completed just before this one (3.0/10), demonstrating that size is but one factor in determining puzzle difficulty.
Alexey Petrovich Bogolyubov (1824 - 1896) was a Russian landscape painter.
Bogolyubov was born in the Pomeranie village of Novgorod Gubernia. His father was retired colonel Pyotr Gavriilovich Bogolyubov. Bogolyubov's maternal grandfather was the well-known philosopher and social critic Alexander Radishchev.
In 1841, Alexey graduated from military school, serving in the Russian Navy and travelling with the fleet to many countries. In 1849, he started to attend classes of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, where he studied under Maxim Vorobiev. The young painter was greatly influenced by Ivan Ayvazovsky. In 1853, he finished the Academy with a major Gold medal. He retired as a navy officer and was appointed an artist to the Navy headquarters.
From 1854 to 1860, he travelled around Europe and worked prolifically. In Rome, he was acquainted with Alexander Ivanov, who convinced Bogolyubov to focus more on drawing. In Düsseldorf, Bogolyubov took classes from the painter Andreas Achenbach. In Paris, he admired the artists of the Barbizon School. French painters Camille Corot and Charles-François Daubigny were good friends and collaborators with Bogolyubov. He also painted the frescoes in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
Bogolyubov returned to Russia in 1860. He exhibited his works in the Academy and received the title of professor. For some time, he taught in the Academy. In the 1860s, he traveled along the Volga. His paintings lost all traces of Romanticism, replacing that element with staunch realism of the natural. In 1871 he was elected to the Imperial Academy of Arts.
From 1870, he became close to the Wanderers art movement, participated in all their exhibitions. He became a member of their board. Much older than most of the other members of the movement, he had reservations on their social ideas. In 1873, Bogolyubov left the Academy in solidarity with his fellow Itinerants. He even tried to create an alternative Russian Academy of Arts in Rome.
After 1873, Bogolyubov lived primarily in Paris, because of his heart condition. His house was like a Russian colony: frequent visitors included Ivan Turgenev, Ilya Yefimovich Repin, Vasily Polenov, Mark Antokolski, Vasili Vasilyevich Vereshchagin.
In 1885, Bogolyubov opened an art museum in Saratov, the Radischev Art Museum, named after his grandfather. It was opened to the general public seven years earlier than the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and fifteen years earlier than the Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg. The naming of the museum after the "first Russian revolutionary", Alexander Radishchev, was a direct challenge to the authorities: Bogolyubov had to endure a legal battle to get permission.
Bogolyubov died on 3 February 1896 in Paris. After his death, Bogolyubov left all his money and capital (around 200 thousand Russian rubles (approximately US$6 million)) to the museum and its painting school. The school was opened after Bogolyubov's death and named Bogolyubov's Painting School. Among painters who attended Bogolyubov's School were such important modernist painters as Victor Borisov-Musatov, Alexei Karev and Pavel Kuznetsov.
Completed in 13 hr., 12 mins. with no box reference. 2,000 total pieces: 23.8 secs./piece; 151.5 pcs./hr. Difficulty rating: 2.4/10.