Dictionary: bohemian (bō-hē'mē-ən)
n. A person with artistic or literary interests who disregards conventional standards of behavior.
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I'm reminded: I had a dear friend (sadly we separated over religious differences), who considered himself a bohemian and considered it an important ideal to be a bohemian.
He was a odd sort of behemian, though. He liked Hong Kong because he'd heard that there it is punishable to litter or spit on the street. And he actually walked around with a shoe horn in his coat. And folded his clothes before sex. (The last one is second-hand knowledge.)
I was also proud to consider myself a bohemian. (I guess I still am one, but I don't care so much anymore.) And when both of us started earning good money, the question became: can you be a proper bohemian and be well off? I think that despite most bohemians traditionally being poor, it's not actually part of the definition, so I don't see why not.
Though actually I think that pride in being bohemian is probably just rooted in separation. You disrespect the bourgeoisie, so it's important to you to separate yourself from them and elevate yourself above them.
Of course that's no difference from the basic human condition. We are different, and therefore better. "I'm Danish, so I'm better." "I'm an American, and damn proud of it." "I'm black and I flaunt it." "I'm a man who works with my hands!" "I'm a Harvard man."
DreamingWolf said...
Bohemian = a native or inhabitant of Bohemia in the Czech Republic.
... and Miroslav Tichý IS a Czech photographer ;-)
So, he is Bohemian: as both the person with the Czech origins and the nonconformist artist who lives an unconventional life...
Yes, very good point! I knew that and I didn't even think about it.
So he is doubly the ultimate bohemian!
Though he'll have to fight it out for the title with Jana Pope (/KRATOCHVÍLOVÁ/Uriel). Her album Bohemian is one of my all time favorites, and I'm sure it was called that for all those reasons. She is also Czech. And if anybody is unconventional... she's never met a convention she could not tear down.I remember in the late eighties I was so enthusiastic about Bohemian that I even tried promoting it in a couple of record stores. No interest. In one of them the girl showed it to another girl, who said with sarcasm and disdain: "yeahhh. I'll bet there'll be one every year too..." Never have I seen anything understood more poorly. Jana never did anything twice, I'm sure. Which is the reason she is not a household name. (The lyrics to Bohemian are not even found online.)
11 comments:
That's what's called doing your own thing.
I love his work.
Emphasizing a difference doesn't necessarily mean one thinks he's superior to others, it just means he's proud of who he is. In some cases it's ridiculous, I'll grant you that. It's not like people put a lot of effort behind attaining their color skin. On the other hand, there are plenty of people who would shame others because of their skin color, so I can see how it's liberating for many to say, "I'm black and I'm unashamed. There's nothing wrong with me."
Of course there are lots and lots of people with small penises in this world that make it their business to cut other people down. As a rule, though, one doesn't need to tear others down to build himself up.
Bohemian = a native or inhabitant of Bohemia in the Czech Republic (Yadabyte Dictionary)
However, Bohemian also = a member of a nomadic people originating in northern India and now living on all continents... (the same dictionary)
:))
... and Miroslav Tichý IS a Czech photographer ;-)
So, he is Bohemian: as both the person with the Czech origins and the nonconformist artist who lives an unconventional life...
Of course there are lots and lots of people with small penises in this world that make it their business to cut other people down.
Which is what you've just done. Yours must be microscopic.
I thought this was interesting, from an article about Tichy: "The first things on display are his cameras and lenses, looking as rusty and old as weapons unearthed from the battlefields of the first world war. Photographers tend to be obsessed by kit, are always trying out new lenses, films and processes. Tichý began photographing with the most basic Russian-made camera - and this was the technological high point of his career. Thereafter he became a scavenger, modifying and building his equipment with whatever came to hand: a rewind mechanism made of elastic from a pair of shorts and attached to empty spools of thread; lenses from old spectacles and Plexiglas, polished with sandpaper, toothpaste and cigarette ash. His telephotos were cobbled together from plastic drain pipes and empty food tins. He also made his own enlarger, out of cardboard and planks."
I guess you do not have to spend a fortune on the best cameras and lenses and stuff. As long as you're an artist and not a photographer for a newspaper or something! :-)
Quite so. I am wondering, though, why he did it that way. Seeing as he used tons of film, he surely could have afforded a decent second hand camera, so there must be another drive.
Man, Jana Kratochvílová (alias Jana Pope) used to be quite popular in the former Czechoslovakia, before she emmigrated! I remember her unique voice and the way she sang... :)
Are you Czech?
She's active there again sometimes in recent years.
No, I'm Slovak (Slovakia was a part of CzechoSlovakia)... :)
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