Plate 50 B from Plan of Chicago 1909: Lake Shore from Chicago Avenue on the south to Wilmette on the North. 1909

This is Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Plan of Chicago, Plate 50B. I love that it's made in delicate pencil and watercolor. Imagine Burnham’s hand moving across this large sheet of paper! What was he thinking as he envisioned Chicago’s future? I mean, drawing lines and hatching to create a whole world, it's pretty intense, right? The grid of the city meeting the organic curve of the lake is so beautiful, and this tension between the planned and the natural, well, you see it everywhere in painting too. Look at those little island details – it is as if they are floating on the surface of the paper. I’m reminded of someone like Agnes Martin, the way she used grids and faint color to suggest space. I can see the connection between planning a city and planning a painting – it's all about balance, rhythm, and finding the underlying structure that makes it all hold together. It is amazing to see how artists and city planners inspire each other across different fields!