[Image courtesy of the Official UK Puzzle Club.]

I tend not to talk about jigsaw puzzles all that much in this blog. It’s not that I have anything against jigsaw puzzles; it’s simply that, when it comes to the world of puzzles, for the most part, jigsaw puzzles occupy the easy end of the spectrum, and I prefer to focus on puzzles with a bit more bite or challenge.

(And yes, I do realize there are edgeless puzzles or repetitive patterns and 3-D puzzles that are far more challenging than the average jigsaw. But my point stands.)

That being said, when there’s something particularly interesting about jigsaws in the news, I’m happy to spread the word.

And I’ve got two jigsaw-centric stories for you today, both of which center around the worlds of art and pop culture.

The first story offers up some solvable art for you.

Artist Max Dalton finds inspiration in music and cinema, and one of his projects has been exploring the cultural impact and meaning of films by turning his art into 500-piece jigsaw puzzles.

There’s something immensely clever about that, since assembling a jigsaw requires you to study and stare at each element and figure out how it fits into the greater whole.

That’s a wonderful mentality to bring to films like King Kong or Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, movies that offer a lot of subtext and invite plenty of conversation.

The second story follows in Dalton’s footsteps, but has a distinctly modern pop culture twist.

HBO is releasing a series of six 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles based on the works by artist Robert M. Ball. These puzzles depict key sequences from the show Game of Thrones, bringing bold colors and striking visuals to moments that fans and viewers still talk about today.

From Cersei’s assault on King’s Landing to Sansa turning Ramsey Bolton’s hounds loose on him, these are visceral moments presented with style.

The chance to savor them while putting them together seems like an undeniable treat for fans of the show.

It’s interesting to see topnotch artists elevating this classic puzzly form. I’m not much of a jigsaw guy, but these puzzles definitely had me thinking twice about giving them a shot.

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