Famous Bohemians by: Rachel Wolfe Picasso may have passed. Kerouac lives on the shelves in the public libraries. Gauguin’s perspective on life hangs amongst works from Frida Kahlo to Dali. The beats, gypsies, dandies, nuveau’s, whatever you want to call them were all bohemians. Artists are certainly not the only type of person to be familiar with an off the beaten path life track. Sigmund Freud blew the intellectual socks off scholars with his then and even sometimes modernly shocking theories. Albert Camus certainly had an interesting spin on the meaning of life. More recently, as even those from the teen and twenty something age group might recognizes, Tim Leary’s drug culture and choices on mind expansion certainly aren’t of the norm. Not all the bohemians have died. Quite the contrary. The many living famously or subtly among the rest of us, maybe even you, are passed over or by on the sidewalks and train cars. These people, the bohemians, often go un-noticed because most still revel in those deceased’s’ works of art, literature, and philosophical teachings. Once can be sure that crazy was the name give to Ginsberg, Vonnegut, Bukowski, or Pollock. They, just as many bohemians, were ahead of their time. Lives dictated by the social norm weren’t capable of understanding the extraordinary ideas of the bohemians of their times. Shall I say everyone in a mental care facility be just gifted beyond any sort of regular intellectual capacity? No, I’ve never been fond of generalizations. Maybe it’s just the price those choosing to shun societal normalcy pay. What a shame it is to pass judgment on creativity and divergent thinking only to celebrate its greatness after the creator has passed. Modern day bohemians such as Bjork and Thom Yorke are often criticized for their abnormalities but play much more acceptable roles in society. Have bohemians evolved to a level that others are more willing to accept? Put to an optimistic light, it’s possible that the public has grown more accepting and appreciative of those daring enough to live in their own way. Playing devil’s advocate now, those that once made bohemian life hell have developed into the greedy consumer much too caught up in their own world to care enough to notice the revolutionary ideas and creations surrounding them. Whichever the case may be, it’s certain famous bohemians today are creating just as important pieces and cultivating theories and methodologies just as profound as famous bohemians of the past. True it is written in the human condition to see things in retrospect with un-fogged sight and appreciate what’s past with an appetite so insatiable we will always want more. Famous or the discreet bohemian living amongst us, sooner or later they will be known. Let’s raise our glasses to those courageous enough to proclaim a bohemian reality for themselves. Anyone willing to challenge the norm, start something worth finishing, and abide by their own laws deserves applause. The bohemian class in itself has the celebrity appeal because they’re unapologetically successful of capturing something that many others will fail to recognize within the span of their time here. Life can be cruel as growing up asserts its stories onto our tales we speak of over ales and cheap wines. The bohemian is making the best of the conditions given, loving wholly, expressing freely, and appreciating the world’s beauty and still having enough grace to give back the wonder.

Why Photography Matters As Art As Never Before - by: Michael Fried Review by: Rachel Wolfe Whether the book is held in the hands of someone with ten years, ten days or even ten minutes interest in photography, Michael Fried’s Why Photography Matters As Art As Never Before is an excellent foundation for the understanding, contemplation and critique of contemporary photography. Fried carefully guides readers through his intensive thought processes while delving right into the influential roles and works of artists such as Jeff Wall, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Thomas Struth, Andreas Gursky, Thomas Demand, Cindy Sherman, Luc Delahaye, Rindeke Dijkstra, Patrick Faigenbaum, Beat Streuli, Philip-Lora diCorcia, Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno, James Wellings, Roland Fischer, and Bernd and Hilla Becher. The works of these artists, and more, play informative and integral roles in each of the ten chapters. Analyzing the accurate photographic reproductions, Fried highlights and explores, in exhaustive detail, the works themselves and provides an abundance of support by widely accepted art history references, quotations and conversations with the artists, excerpts from Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography, and comparisons on Susan Sontag and several of Fried’s earlier writings. The book is a thoroughly detailed volume of information, offering a variety of audiences a new perspective on the history and development of contemporary photography. Fried’s signature approach supports the development of a thorough knowledge base to those new to contemporary photography while feeding the minds of the more experienced with challenging new conclusions. The unarguable presentation of his positions provides the basis needed for a refreshing take on the direction of contemporary photography. Fried discusses the exploration of the everyday, the role of the viewer, analyzes theatricality, Jeff Wall’s distinctive “near documentary” style, and the unending analysis of “bad” and “good” photography. Whether Fried has proved Why Photography Matters As Art As Never Before still has yet to be determined, but the book and Fried’s conclusions will certainly be a necessary addition to the bookshelves and minds of contemporary criticism and comprehension for years to come.