Viktor Oliva

Viktor Oliva ( born April 24, 1861 in Nové Strašecí, † April 5, 1928 in Prague) was a Czech graphic artist, illustrator, painter and poster artist of the Art Nouveau.

Life and work

Oliva studied with 17 years at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague under the painter and restorer Sequens František ( 1836-1896 ) and then at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. In Munich, he joined the Czech artist association Skreta, which also included Luděk Marold and Alfons Maria Mucha.

1888 he moved as many Czech art students from Munich to Paris to Montmartre, where he was part of the rapidly growing arts scene. He lived several years in the Seine metropolis and became friends with the original " Bohemian Paris " - on Bohemian artists and writers of the 19th century as Aleš, Jakub Arbes and Karel Masek Vítězslav. Oliva was also an avid balloonist 1891 he undertook with the crew of the French aviation pioneer Louis Godard a balloon ride from Prague to the Baltic Sea, which was described in a novel, which was published by Verlag JR Vilímek. Back in his native country he was in 1897 picture editor at the magazine laid by Jan Otto Zlata Praha ( Golden Prague ) and the Encyclopedia Ottův Dictionary naučný ( Otto's encyclopedia ), for which he should work for 19 years. About the time he got to know Anna Adamcová; the two were married. 1898 their son Viktor Oliva Jr. was born who was to become an artist later also. The marriage lasted only briefly: Anna burned with a singer by the name of Mařák and Oliva remained with his son alone.

About a quarter of a century Viktor Oliva was very productive and spent much time with his longtime friend the Globetrotter and writer Josef Kořenský (1847-1938) whose travel reports he illustrated. Oliva was a versatile " use graphical " artist: he designed numerous book illustrations and book bindings, bookplates and promotional posters, but also painted landscapes, stage sets for the theater and designed ceiling paintings in numerous buildings, including the Měšťanská beseda ( Měšťanská Beseda ) in Pilsen. His most famous image, The Absinthe Drinker (Czech: Pijak absintu ) from 1901, hangs in the famous Prague Café Slavia and shows a scarred by absinthe consumption Men and a " green fairy " as absinthe is also called. Other works include Olivas lady in red, lady in white ( Anna Karenina ), In the spa, mother Slavia or farewell.

Viktor Oliva died shortly before his 67th birthday on April 5, 1928 in Prague. He was buried in the Prague Cemetery Olšany.

Works (selection)

Topičův salon (1895 )

Topičův salon (1896 )

Ceiling Painting in Měšťanská Beseda, Pilsen

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