Aesthetics, Video Art and Television

The author reviews two symposia: ‘The Video Arts: Demonstration and Discussion’, The American Society for Aesthetics, New York City, 28 Oct. 1978, and ‘The Aestheticians Look at Television’, National Association of Education Broadcasters, Washington, D.C., 30 Oct. 1978. He also presents an evaluation of the current state of video art in terms of philosophical aesthetics. Furthermore, he attempts to make a clear distinction between television and video art. The differences cited include corporate studio efforts vs efforts of individual artists, commercial vs artistic purpose and the substantial differences between production methods. Other issues considered are style, intimacy and narcissism.