Viktor Oliva
Encyclopedia
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and illustrator.
His most famous painting, "Absinthe Drinker" , hangs on the wall of the historical Cafe Slavia in Prague, Czech Republic.
Viktor Oliva was a master of drawing, illustration, and painting born in Nové Strašecí
Nové Strašecí
Nové Strašecí is a town in the Czech Republic. The nickname for the village is "New Bubu". There are about 5,000 people that live there, and it is about 35km from Prague. There are about 20 bars in the village with the most famous being Patro. At Patro on Saturday nights there is a disco.-External...
, Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
24 April 1861. His main style was Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
. At the age of 17 he attended the Prague Academy of Art and studied under František Sequens, who respected his work greatly. He continued his studies at the Munich Academy.
In 1888 he was drawn to the Montmartre
Montmartre
Montmartre is a hill which is 130 metres high, giving its name to the surrounding district, in the north of Paris in the 18th arrondissement, a part of the Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur on its summit and as a nightclub district...
area of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to be part of the ever rapidly expanding artistic community there. He lived there for some years and became good friends with other "Bohemian Parisiens" such as Luděk Marold
Ludek Marold
Luděk Marold was a Czech realist painter. He lived in Prague, Paris and Munich....
, Mikoláš Aleš
Mikoláš Aleš
Mikoláš Aleš , was a Czech painter.-Biography:Aleš was born in Mirotice near Písek, into a relatively rich family that was in debt at the time. He was taught history by his brother František until the latter's death in 1865; he expressed interest in painting at an early age...
, Jakub Arbes
Jakub Arbes
Jakub Arbes was an influential Czech revolutionary, intellectual and writer. He was a sympathizer of the Májovci literary group and creator of the literary genre called romanetto.- Life and Politics :...
, and Karel Vítězslav Mašek. This group of actual Bohemians (from Bohemia) were right in the heart of the "Bohemian Revolution".
His art greatly improved in such a richly artistic environment. Paris is where he discovered the joy of Absinthe
Absinthe
Absinthe is historically described as a distilled, highly alcoholic beverage. It is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from herbs, including the flowers and leaves of the herb Artemisia absinthium, commonly referred to as "grande wormwood", together with green anise and sweet fennel...
. He also greatly loved the exhilaration of ballooning. This group all held very true to the ideals that the Artistic Bohemians believed in. They all lived and worked there for several years before returning to their home in true Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
.
In 1897 he was given the job of Images Editor at the very popular Czech language magazine Zlatá Praha (Golden Prague). He held this job for 19 years. Shortly after he started work there, he married a lovely girl named Anna Adamcová who was enamored with his talent. Not long after that, she gave birth to his son Viktor Oliva Jr. (also was an aspiring artist). The marriage didn't last long, as Anna ran away with a singer named Mařák. Oliva was still able to spend some time with his son, which brought him very much joy.
Over the next quarter century, Oliva was very prolific in his work. He spent a lot of time with his extremely worldly best friend Josef Kořenský
Josef Korenský
Josef Kořenský was a Czech traveller and writer.Kořenský was son of a farmer. Since young age he had interest in paleontology, this had helped him to obtain education. Since 1867 he worker as a teacher, later as school director...
(a true world traveler at a time when this was incredibly difficult). Oliva was commissioned to create many dramatic works including the ceilings of several buildings in Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
. He also had several works hanging in his favorite cafe, Café Slavia (which now still has his most famous work "Piják absintu" (Absinthe Drinker) hanging proudly inside).
He was profiled in Český Svět magazine (a Czech lifestyle magazine like People and Time) in 1926, two years before his death. Here is a translation of the text:
"Anniversary of the life (65th birthday) of such a kind and likable artist sets our memories well back – to the end of the 1880's – when the very young artist Oliva began to help with artistic decoration of Czech books with such an elegance and charm, that he soon became one of the most famous Czech illustrators up there with Luděk Marold
Ludek Marold
Luděk Marold was a Czech realist painter. He lived in Prague, Paris and Munich....
, for example.
He's done illustrations for several books of Svatopluk Čech
Svatopluk Cech
Svatopluk Čech was a Czech writer, journalist and poet.Čech studied at gymnasium in Prague, then studied law, and later worked in the journals Květy, Lumír and Světozor.His first poem, Husita na Baltu, was published in the almanac Ruch in 1868...
, Jan Neruda
Jan Neruda
Jan Nepomuk Neruda was a Czech journalist, writer and poet, one of the most prominent representatives of Czech Realism and a member of "the May school".-Early life:...
, Karel Václav Rais
Karel Václav Rais
Karel Václav Rais was a Czech realist novelist, author of the so-called country prose, numerous books for youth and children, and several poems.- Biography :...
, Václav Beneš Třebízský
Václav Beneš Trebízský
Václav Beneš Třebízský was a popular Czech novelist. He is the author of numerous historical novels and children's stories. His most novel novel is arguably In the Early Evening of the Five-petaled Roses ....
, Kronbauer – those were published for almost two decades with Viktor Oliva's illustrations. As well as numerous of other books as one of the first Czech artists in that area. Much of his work, his credits, are still underrated and sometimes even forgotten.
We know Mr. Oliva as well as a landscape drawer and figure artist, of very high quality and duality – huge canvases of his hang in Café Slavia, the walls of buildings on beautiful Slavia Island, and Mestanska Beseda in Pilsen
Pilsen
Plzeň, or Pilsen is a city in western Bohemia in the Czech Republic. It is the capital of the Plzeň Region and the fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic. It is located about 90 km west of Prague at the confluence of four rivers—the Radbuza, the Mže, the Úhlava, and the Úslava—which...
. They are still able to capture you with strong emotions and beautiful performance.
Currently, he is still busy with his art and we hope he will soon surprise us with some exhibition of his older as well as newer paintings.
Oliva used to be in a group of artists such as Mikoláš Aleš
Mikoláš Aleš
Mikoláš Aleš , was a Czech painter.-Biography:Aleš was born in Mirotice near Písek, into a relatively rich family that was in debt at the time. He was taught history by his brother František until the latter's death in 1865; he expressed interest in painting at an early age...
, Jakub Arbes
Jakub Arbes
Jakub Arbes was an influential Czech revolutionary, intellectual and writer. He was a sympathizer of the Májovci literary group and creator of the literary genre called romanetto.- Life and Politics :...
, and others who knew how to live and had unusually good, noble hearts.
Oliva is still a respected citizen not only for his art, but also for his social interactions."
He died on 5 April 1928 in Prague. He was buried in Olšany Cemetery
Olšany Cemetery
Olšany Cemetery is the largest graveyard in Prague, Czech Republic, once having as many as two million burials. The cemetery is particularly noted for its many remarkable art nouveau monuments.- History :...
in an area for famous artists.
Opinions from the art world of early XXI century
According to an annotation from what is most likely the Troja ChateauTroja (castle)
Troja Palace is a Baroque palace located in Troja, Prague's north-west borough . It was built for the Counts of Sternberg from 1679 to 1691...
gallery in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
:
- "The youngest artist at Troja is Viktor Oliva. He was primarily a graphic artist. His dust covers, book bindings and posters are among the best examples of Czech applied graphic art of the 1890s. In addition, however, he painted several ceilings and decorations for a number of Prague cafes. The entire work bespeaks the influence of French fin de siecle art, which is also a characteristic of Oliva's portraits."
According to the catalog of Czech art auction house Meissner-Neumann:
- "Czech painter and illustrator, he studied under F. Sequens at the Academy of Art in PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, then in MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He was influenced by the work of his friend L. MaroldLudek MaroldLuděk Marold was a Czech realist painter. He lived in Prague, Paris and Munich....
. He created chiefly portraits and large-scale paintings following the historicizing stream in art. His portraits and large number of illustrations for books by Czech and European authors as well as his poster designs testify to the contemporary life style based on the Art NouveauArt NouveauArt Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
style."
Timeline of major events in his life
- 1861 Born Nové StrašecíNové StrašecíNové Strašecí is a town in the Czech Republic. The nickname for the village is "New Bubu". There are about 5,000 people that live there, and it is about 35km from Prague. There are about 20 bars in the village with the most famous being Patro. At Patro on Saturday nights there is a disco.-External...
- 1878 Prague's Academy of Art
- 1880s? Munich Academy
- 1888 Lived in Paris
- 1891 August 27, Balloonist crew with Louise Godard described in book "From Prague to the Baltic Sea by balloon" by J.R.Vilimek
- 1897-1916 Zlata Praha (Otto's publishing company)
- Married Anna Andomcová
- 1898 Son Viktor Oliva Jr.
- Wife left him for singer Mařák
- 1926 Profiled in Cesky Svet
- 1928 Died Prague
- Buried in Olšany CemeteryOlšany CemeteryOlšany Cemetery is the largest graveyard in Prague, Czech Republic, once having as many as two million burials. The cemetery is particularly noted for its many remarkable art nouveau monuments.- History :...
in area for famous artists.
Notable Friends
- Josef KořenskýJosef KorenskýJosef Kořenský was a Czech traveller and writer.Kořenský was son of a farmer. Since young age he had interest in paleontology, this had helped him to obtain education. Since 1867 he worker as a teacher, later as school director...
- World traveler whom Oliva illustrated books for. - Luděk MaroldLudek MaroldLuděk Marold was a Czech realist painter. He lived in Prague, Paris and Munich....
- Artist - Mikoláš AlešMikoláš AlešMikoláš Aleš , was a Czech painter.-Biography:Aleš was born in Mirotice near Písek, into a relatively rich family that was in debt at the time. He was taught history by his brother František until the latter's death in 1865; he expressed interest in painting at an early age...
- Artist - Jakub ArbesJakub ArbesJakub Arbes was an influential Czech revolutionary, intellectual and writer. He was a sympathizer of the Májovci literary group and creator of the literary genre called romanetto.- Life and Politics :...
- Artist - Karel Vítězslav Mašek - Artist