Bleu Blanc Rouge
Bleu Blanc Rouge
Jonathan Reeve Price, Bleu Blanc Rouge, 2018, Giclée print, 44" x 34" (111.7 x 86.4 cm)
Bleu, blanc, rouge—the three colors of the French flag, the tricolor, arise from the map of the heart of France, the congestion point, the hub of all traffic, Paris.
How many ways can we view the city?
Delete all color, to see the streets in black and white.
Expand and enlarge, to see how subtle and twisted those lines really are…the penmanship of map makers.
Compare one glimpse of the original with another, not for information, but for the pleasure of discovering the points of correspondence. The eye keeps wondering where it is, how one snapshot compares with another, what is on top. The levels intersect and dissolve.
Like a Chinese painting, we have brushstrokes in the void, indeterminacy. But as a computer artifact, we have the inverted image, the PhotoBooth study, the vectorized overlay…offering a game, not a calm Zen moment.
In his novel about an artist who enlarges Michelin maps in the gallery, Michel Houellebecq amuses himself by inventing a dithyrambic critic, who rhapsodizes about the mapmakers taking the point of view of God.
Non sans une crâne audace, il adopte le point de vue d'un Dieu coparticipant, aux côtés de l'homme, à la (re)construction du monde.—La Carte et le Territoire
Houellebecq suggests that this (re)exploration of the map falls somewhere between "rational theology and mystical union with the world." Big claims, but at times, I agree.
For more on this series, see our book, Remapping Paris:
For Kindle, Tablet, or Phone:
Follow blog posts about the series, Remapping Paris:
https://museumzero.blogspot.com/2019/01/remapping-paris-15-bleu-blanc-rouge.html
Our Process
Your picture gets our careful, individual attention.
We print it on a baryta-coated fiber-based satin paper with excellent archival properties, enhanced definition, and extended tonal range. Then we laminate the print to preserve the image against fingerprints and dust. Overall, our printing process takes approximately two weeks.
We then ship the print to you in a solid mailing tube, using U.S. Priority Mail, insured for the full value. We send you an email with the tracking number. Shipping usually takes 2 business days.
To get in touch, email us at jonathanreeveprice at mac.com