Alan
Blaustein is a
photographer with a
singular focus.
For the past twelve
years, he has worked on
a photographic series of
public benches and their
surroundings. His images
evoke a contemplative
mood, a sense of
tranquillity and
timelessness, while the
benches themselves
suggest community and
social interaction. He
has traveled extensively
in the United States and
Europe in search of the
right settings. He says
taking pictures of
benches is easier in
Europe than in America.
In Europe, “the bench
materials are more
sculpted, more ornate.
And you’ll find a church
from the 15th century in
the background. In
America, everything
seems so new.”
His original
photographs are printed
on watercolor paper
using processes dating
from the late 1800s, and
are often painstakingly
hand-tinted with
watercolor pigments
which offer much more
subtlety and diversity
than standard
photographic dyes. This
process has translated
well to the poster
format, giving them an
antique feel.
Blaustein’s first job
was as an art director
for Bloomingdale’s in
New York. Eventually,
Bloomingdale’s published
a book of his
photographs. He holds
MFA and BFA degrees in
photography and film
from the Academy of Art
College in San
Francisco, California
where he is an
instructor, and the
Rochester Institute of
Technology, Rochester,
New York. His work has
been exhibited
throughout the United
States, including in the
San Francisco
International Airport.
Chronicle Books of San
Francisco has also
published his bench
photographs in a 1996
calendar.
