Art on TV
"Feitelson on Art" was a nationally syndicated television program hosted by artist Lorser Feitelson, first broadcast live from Los Angeles in October 1956 on KRCA-TV, the West Coast flagship of NBC. The show, which aired initially in Southern California before expanding nationwide, was conceived after Tom McCray, a private student of Feitelson and an executive at KRCA-TV, suggested the idea of an art history series. Feitelson, known for his work as a Surrealist painter and educator, initially doubted his ability to reach a general audience due to the specialized language of art, but he overcame this by adopting an unscripted, improvisational approach that emphasized genuine enthusiasm.
The program ran for seven years, concluding in 1963, and was structured around the motto "ARS UNA, SPECIES MILLE" (One Art, A Thousand Kinds), covering a broad spectrum of art from prehistoric times to the mid-20th century. The first season focused on drawing, with subsequent seasons expanding to painting and sculpture. Episodes were broadcast live and unscripted, with Feitelson personally managing all aspects of production, including timing, slide preparation, and on-air delivery, while a director was present only due to union regulations. The show opened with Richard Strauss’s "Don Juan" and featured on-air interviews with artists, often showcasing works from local exhibitions, including those from Los Angeles museums and galleries.
The program played a significant role in promoting modern art during a period of cultural tension, particularly during the McCarthy era, when abstract art was often viewed with suspicion. Feitelson used the platform to advocate for artistic freedom and to elevate the status of Los Angeles as an art center, often highlighting local artists and institutions overlooked by national publications. The show was instrumental in advancing color television technology, as KRCA-TV built a color set specifically to broadcast Feitelson’s first color episode on Stanton McDonald-Wright in 1957. Despite its cultural impact, the series suffered from the loss of most episodes due to NBC’s practice of reusing recording tape and the lack of clear copyright ownership, with only a few surviving copies archived at the Library of Congress
Fan mail from viewers, preserved in the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution, reflects the show’s profound influence, with many letters expressing gratitude for its educational value and its role in helping audiences understand modern art. The program is now recognized as a pioneering effort in art education on television, with its legacy influencing how art is experienced and disseminated through screens today.
... unfortunately magnetic tape does not make for archival durability and it is disappointing that an episode of Feitelson's long-running TV show cannot be viewed today
While magnetic tape reuse led to the loss of most episodes of “Feitelson on Art”, a handful of episodes have survived and are archived at the Library of Congress. Due to unresolved copyright ownership by NBC, the foundation and researchers cannot access or distribute copies without NBC’s approval. Fan letters from viewers, preserved in the “Archives of American Art” at the Smithsonian Institution, offer insight into the show’s impact, though the visual record remains largely inaccessible.
... a still scene from the show provides a taste of the warmth of the color video technology used, and brings out the rich color chiaroscuro of the artist's paintings to create a sense of anticipation almost surreal
A color photograph from December 1959 of Lorser Feitelson on the set of “Feitelson on Art” survives and offers a glimpse into the show’s visual aesthetic. The image, a Kodacolor print held by the Archives of American Art at the Smithsonian Institution, shows Feitelson in a living room-style set with paintings on easels and a television camera nearby. Though not a frame from a broadcast, this rare color still reflects the warm, rich tones made possible by early color television technology, which KRCA-TV adopted specifically for the show. The 1957 episode featuring Stanton Macdonald-Wright was the first color broadcast of the series, showcasing the vivid reproduction of artworks despite technical limitations of the time.
... thanks for the fact check which in itself anticipated my thinking that the effect on the viewer is uncertainty about what is being viewed reality or medium
The surviving color stills and descriptions of “Feitelson on Art” highlight how early television blurred the boundaries between reality and medium, creating a surreal viewing experience. Feitelson’s unscripted, passionate delivery—combined with the novelty of color broadcasts—immersed audiences in a mediated yet intimate encounter with art. As one of the first to bring avant-garde art into American living rooms, the show framed the screen not just as a window, but as a transformative space where perception was shaped by both the artwork and the technology presenting it. This duality anticipated contemporary debates about digital mediation, where the medium itself becomes part of the artistic experience.
... does the data provide published critical notice of possible cross-fertilization with contemporary shows such as Rod Serling's the twilight zone and particularly inspiration for night gallery, or even the Addams family series
There is no published critical evidence of direct cross-fertilization between “Feitelson on Art” and contemporary shows like “The Twilight Zone”, “Night Gallery”, or “The Addams Family”. While both “Feitelson on Art” (1956–1963) and Rod Serling’s programs (especially “Night Gallery”, 1969–1973) used the television screen to evoke surreal or uncanny experiences, their purposes and formats differed fundamentally. Feitelson’s show was an educational art history series emphasizing modernist aesthetics, color theory, and artistic freedom, delivered in an improvisational yet scholarly tone. In contrast, Serling’s work was fictional, narrative-driven, and steeped in Gothic and psychological themes.
Both series shared a televisual surrealism—using the medium itself to alter perception. Feitelson’s unscripted delivery and dynamic use of color television created an intimate, almost hypnotic engagement with art, while “Night Gallery” framed horror through curated paintings, echoing Feitelson’s focus on the artwork as a portal. Despite thematic echoes in their use of the screen-as-window, no archival sources or critical analyses suggest direct influence or inspiration between them.
... as a subject for a academic discussion consider in the above context Marshall McLuhan's axiom that the medium is the message, and it's possible cross-pollination with Feitelson's show
Lorser Feitelson’s “Feitelson on Art” (1956–1963) exemplifies Marshall McLuhan’s axiom “the medium is the message” by demonstrating how television itself—rather than just the content of art history—transformed the public’s relationship with modern art. Though Feitelson aimed to educate, the medium of live, unscripted television—with its immediacy, intimacy, and pioneering use of color—became the dominant message, reshaping how art was perceived. The show’s improvisational style, Feitelson’s passionate delivery, and the glowing color screen collectively created an aesthetic experience that mirrored the modernist values he taught, reinforcing that how art is presented shapes its reception as much as the artwork itself.
The program’s use of early color TV, especially in the 1957 episode on Stanton Macdonald-Wright, amplified this effect. KRCA-TV built a custom color set for the broadcast, making the vivid hues of modern paintings not just visible but experiential, thus aligning the technology of transmission with the avant-garde message. This fusion anticipated McLuhan’s later argument that electronic media extend human senses and alter consciousness. While Feitelson’s show predated “Understanding Media” (1964), it functioned as a real-world case study: the television screen became a curated space where art, personality, and technology converged, elevating the medium to co-author of the message.