Television
Date1970
Mediumacrylic on canvas
DimensionsFramed: 42 7/8 × 42 7/8 × 2 inches (108.9 × 108.9 × 5.1 cm)
Credit LineGift of Casimera Konopka.
Object number2001.24
Copyright© Estate of Joseph Konopka.
The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextJoseph “Joe” Konopka was a scenic artist whose representational, photo-realist paintings include landscapes, cityscapes, portraits, and things in everyday life. Konopka began working in the television industry with NBC-TV in 1952; he served in the army from 1956–58 as an army illustrator, and then returned to NBC in 1958 upon discharge. Konopka had a long professional career with the late-night television industry (employed as a scenic artist on “Late Night with David Letterman” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”).
Television offers contextual information about America during the 1960s–70s. In the painting, we see a woman turning to the network CBS, channel 2, in color. On her lap is a newspaper. CBS was presenting most of its programming lineup in color by end of 1960s, and it was the first time Americans said they received more of their news from television than newspapers.
During the late 1960s, Walter Cronkite—anchorman for the CBS Evening News—extensively covered the Vietnam War and the Space Race, among other current events. On July 20, 1969, CBS won the ratings for what was the biggest show in broadcast history to date: the live transmission of American astronauts walking on the moon. Not only was this a huge leap for humanity and American politics, it was also a huge milestone for live TV broadcast technology.
