Politics and Morality in Bohemian Life

The Bohemian lifestyle facilitated a unique approach to morality, where self-indulgence and irresponsibility were seen as virtues, often leading to behaviors such as excessive drinking and drug use. This perspective flipped the conventional view of morality, creating a subculture that resisted the norms of the bourgeois class. Furthermore, while early Bohemians were largely male and held reactive attitudes towards social change, later generations saw influential female figures emerge, contributing to the evolution of Bohemian ideals. The intertwining of anarchism with Bohemianism during noteworthy events like the Paris Commune highlighted the political dimensions of their art, allowing individuals like Gustave Courbet to redefine the role of the artist as one engaged in revolutionary rather than purely aesthetic pursuits.