Viktor Oliva

Who was Viktor Oliva?

Viktor Oliva was a Czech painter and illustrator.

His most famous painting, "Absinthe Drinker", hangs on the wall of the historical Café Slavia in Prague, Czech Republic.

Viktor Oliva was a master of drawing, illustration, and painting born in Nové Strašecí, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary 24 April 1861. His main style was Art Nouveau. At the age of 17 he attended the Academy of Fine Arts, Prague 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 area of Paris 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, Mikoláš Aleš, Jakub Arbes, and Karel Vítězslav Mašek. This group of actual Bohemians 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. 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.