Faya Causey

National Gallery of Art

Abstract

Thinking in circles: cosmic schemata from antiquity to the present

Jasper Johns’ famous series of targets have ancient aspects, and can be seen as belonging to a much larger history. The schema of concentric circles to represent the cosmos has a long life from antiquity onwards. Johns’ targets are the starting point for a look at the use of this diagram/symbol in various symbol systems in art, geometry and science, both in western art and non-western cultures.

Biographical Details

Faya Causey is head of academic programmes at the National Gallery of Art, Washington. Formerly, she was Associate Professor at California State University, Long Beach (art history, ancient art; history of museums and collecting).  She has lectured and published on Greek, Italic, Etruscan and Roman art and contemporary art.  She is the author of an essay related to an exhibition of Sigmar Polke and of the forthcoming catalogue of the ancient amber in the J. Paul Getty Museum.