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LIZ FAUST
Art History
2020
2019
2018-2015
History and Theory of Imaging and Digital Arts
This course examines the profound transformations in visual culture and media that emerged in the mid-1800s, driven by technological innovations in communication, transportation, and mechanization. Students will explore how these changes reshaped perceptions of time, space, identity, and reality, ultimately forming the media environment we
experience today. Focusing on the historical and theoretical contexts of media and “New Media” art practices, the course traces the evolution of visual technologies—particularly the camera—and the complex relationship between images, trust, mass media, and digital communication. Through critical analysis, students will engage with media artifacts, technological forms, and artistic responses to these significant societal shifts.
Senior Art History Thesis or Curatorial Project
This seminar, tailored for students concentrating in art history and museum studies, guides participants through the process of independently developing and completing a research project. Under the mentorship of Professor Faust, students will engage in in-depth discussions on key art historical methodologies and theories—such as psychoanalysis, social history of art, semiotics, structuralism, and post-structuralism—while examining their historical and political contexts. The course combines independent research with collaborative class meetings focused on progress reports, peer critiques, and culminating in a final presentation of each student's project.
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From Scrolls to Screens: Contemporary Japanese Art
The course starts in Japan’s Meiji Era and it’s opening to the West, the start of Japan’s modern period. Moving into post- WWII art influenced by the bomb and its extending impact to the NYC art scene in the 1960s and 1970s. The class focuses on contemporary and media-based art that has bridged the Pacific and into imaginations worldwide. This class fills the gap of artworks that is traditionally omitted from Western scholarship and provides comparative perspectives to Western modern art.
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Art Survey I: Pre-historic-1400
This course introduces the development of world art and visual culture from prehistory to circa 1400 CE, focusing on architecture, painting, sculpture, monuments, and related arts. Through in-depth analysis and comparative cultural study, students explore the social, historical, and religious contexts that shaped artistic production across various civilizations. Emphasizing global awareness and intercultural competency, the course covers key periods and movements, including prehistoric, ancient, and medieval art from regions such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Mesoamerica, India, China, Japan, Africa, and Europe. Students will develop critical skills in art historical analysis, iconography, stylistic identification, and information literacy while examining how art reflects and influences culture throughout history.
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Art Survey II: 1400-Present
This course provides an in-depth exploration of world art and visual culture from 1400 CE to the present, covering diverse artistic forms such as architecture, painting, sculpture, and monuments. Students will critically analyze key works of art within their social, historical, and religious contexts, gaining a broad understanding of stylistic developments across various cultures and historical periods. The course emphasizes the mastery of art historical terminology, stylistic analysis, multicultural awareness, and the relationship between art and society. By engaging with philosophical movements, cross-cultural aesthetics, and contemporary connections, students will cultivate advanced analytical skills and a nuanced understanding of art’s evolving role in human history. Additionally, students will develop proficiency in information literacy and technology applications for art history research and presentation.
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Art Appreciation
This course introduces students to the critical appreciation and analysis of visual art, emphasizing its relevance in both personal and societal contexts. Students will explore how individuals and cultures influence and interpret artistic expressions, examining art's role in reflecting societal values across time. Through thematic units such as art and the environment, ritual and community, and the art of leaders, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of art's multifaceted nature. Course goals include fostering critical reflection, broadening individual perspectives, and analyzing the cultural context of art, with learning facilitated through interactive discussions, critical thinking exercises, and the study of diverse global artists.
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Postmodernism: Art Since 1960
Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, especially since 1960, artists have challenged the notion of modernism, even as they continued to exercise its principles in their work. Identifying these challenges and continuations, analyzing their significance, and grasping why the term postmodernism is often applied to the art in which they appear, first requires an understanding of modernism’s multiple meanings. This course begins with a brief history of multiple modernisms as a prequel to the story of multiple postmodernisms. As this narrative unfolds, a type of map emerges, one that we will follow throughout the semester as we explore the ever-increasing number of paths that artists since 1960 have pursued in terms of mediums, styles, concepts, and disciplines, as well as the ever-increasing visibility of locations around the world where artists have lived and worked.
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