Plate 91 from The Plan of Chicago, Chicago, Proposed Diagonal Arteries 1909

This drawing was made by Daniel Burnham, as part of The Plan of Chicago. The lines of the proposed diagonal arteries are laid out over a faded grid, like a skeleton on a worn-out rug. Burnham wasn’t just laying out roads, he was conjuring a world, a way of life. Look closely at how he deploys the black lines against the softer texture of the map. The black lines are emphatic, sure, and totally unwavering. They suggest power, authority, control. But the color underneath, the muted peach and yellow, is far less certain. And, when you look close you can see that the lines are not absolutely perfect. There are faint smudges, wobbles. I love those little imperfections, they remind us that even the grandest visions are made by human hands. I think of other mapmakers, like Alfred Jarry, with his imaginary worlds or Paul Klee with his childlike landscapes. Art is never a closed case, but an ongoing conversation!