The Parisian Bohemian Movement

Paper Summary:

The Bohemian movement in Paris was quite possibly the most influential artistic movement in French history. The paper begins with a brief history that leads up to the Bohemian cultural revolution at the end of the 19th century, stating how many individuals felt that the French government of the 19th century had betrayed the original ideas of the Revolution and sought to live their lives as the Revolution originally dictated. The Bohemian movement is then focused on as a reaction to the strict rules of Parisian life. Several artists are discussed, such as Victor Hugo and some of the early Impressionist artists, and their contributions are briefly explored. Mainly, the idea is presented that the Bohemian movement was more of an evolution that merged Revolutionary concepts with a growing distaste for the privileged class. Finally, the ideals of Bohemians in Paris are discussed at length; generally, the hatred of the Reign of Terror, which those before them sought to impose on French citizens, and the ideal that living a poor life without possessions was the true way to happiness.

From the Paper:

"After the French Revolution of 1789, the landscape of French culture, politics and foreign affairs was drastically changed by the incoming infusion of new ideas and concepts from the masses. Through a series of experiments with constitutional monarchies and republics between 1789 through 1870, cultural trends emerged that enriched French culture to the status of having the most predominant sophistication of all the European countries. Nowhere was this cultural revolution more apparent then Paris in 1830, which would be the location of the birth of the intellectual Bohemian Movement in Parisian cafes. Those who would call themselves Bohemians in Paris were outcasts by choice; individuals who desired to live without world possessions and contribute only to better their fellow man and supplement the Parisian culture through art, poetry and literature. This resolution to oppose the bourgeoisie and live outside of the general norm of society at the time would not have been possible had the French Revolution not occurred."

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