Dr. Janice Leoshko

Biography

Janice Leoshko is an Associate Professor Emerita in Art History specializing in South Asian Art at the University of Texas at Austin. She has taught courses focused on issues in art from South Asia, particularly Buddhist Art, and her research primarily concerns the development of Buddhist traditions in India, with involvement in projects related to religious traditions of South Asia and Islam. Her scholarly work questions the underlying assumptions in historic contexts, as exemplified by her book 'Sacred Traces: British Explorations of Buddhism in the 19th Century' (2003) and her articles, including 'What Kim?: Rudyard Kipling and Tibetan Buddhist Traditions' and 'Gauguin’s Buddhism.' She has investigated the historical significance of artistic production at Bodh Gaya, the site where Buddha achieved enlightenment, as evidenced by her works like 'About Looking at Buddha Images in Eastern India' and 'Buddhist Ruins at Bodh Gaya and Bamiyan.' Her influence extends to museum exhibitions, influenced by her curatorial experience at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She has contributed significantly to the graduate portfolio in museum studies and organized major programs at UT’s South Asia Institute. Her recent focus on Sri Lankan art has led to a current book project assessing the significance of the early writings of major scholar Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy.

Research Interests

Courses