Jonathan Reeve Price, Congestion, 2018, Giclée print, 34" x 44" (86 x 112 cm)

I used to think of maps imposing a grid on the world, so that I could see the blocks of New York as interlocking right angles, blocks, rectangles, squares…a geometric world that could accommodate occasional traffic circles, dead-ends, and on-ramps…but that grid rarely softened into a curve. I counted on the mapmakers to straighten out the slow bend in a road, the subtle angle that Broadway makes as it slices across Manhattan. My mind expects a grid.

But when I pull out the actual drawing that the Michelin mapmakers do, magnifying it, and laying it on top, I can see the brushwork, the uncertainty, the swoops.

I destroy to examine. At the top, the most blown up, the most zoomed in; below that, the mere lines without the original colors of the map; below that, the original. I dislike the bland color set chosen by Michelin, so I redo some sections in brighter colors, other parts in blue-gray blurs.

I improvise to amuse my eye, and to provide enough contrasts to keep the mind occupied in comparing one chunk with another, struggling to make sense out of the image.

Activity, then, not a particular result.

The movement of attention, not the settled recognition of one pattern. A challenge to the intellect, as the eye dances. The semi-serious goal: arousing that brain activity that Rudolf Arnheim calls visual thinking.

For more on this series, see our book, Remapping Paris:

https://www.amazon.com/Remapping-Paris-Jonathan-Reeve-Price/dp/0971995427/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=remapping+paris&qid=1561318709&s=books&sr=1-1

For Kindle, Tablet, or Phone:

https://www.amazon.com/Remapping-Paris-MuseumZero-Jonathan-Price-ebook/dp/B07LDKSWQV/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1561318709&sr=1-1

To follow blog posts about the series, see our blog:

https://museumzero.blogspot.com/2019/01/remapping-paris-09-congestion.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