La Bohème 

Adrian Gottlieb painted ‘La Bohème’ in the twenty-first century using traditional oil painting techniques. The painting evokes the nineteenth-century cultural movement of Bohemianism. It recalls the art academies of 19th-century France which emphasized technical mastery and the study of historical styles. But Gottlieb updates this tradition, painting a woman who projects a modern sense of self-possession. She is dressed in simple clothing that suggests a rejection of bourgeois values. Yet, the painting lacks the kind of overt social critique that one might find in an earlier artwork of the same name, such as Giacomo Puccini’s opera. As historians, we might examine exhibition reviews or artist statements to determine Gottlieb’s intent. Ultimately, ‘La Bohème’ reflects the artist’s individual expression as well as the continuing appeal of a cultural trope.