Databáze uměleckých výstav v českých zemích 1820 – 1950

Viktor Oliva's first solo exhibition at the Topič Salon took place at the height of his creative life in 1896. The Topič Salon, which opened in 1894 on Ferdinandova Street in Prague, was the first and longest-running private gallery in Prague to focus on contemporary art. As František Xaver Harlas wrote in the daily Politik, "Now we really have only one gallery in Prague where modern paintings are exhibited." [Harlas 1896, p. 1] František Topič, who was primarily a publisher, wanted to create an exhibition space that would serve not only to present artworks, but also to sell them and to make Czech artists better known to society at large. Viktor Oliva, Topič's illustrator and artistic advisor, became one of the modern artists that Topič decided to represent. The exhibition introduced Oliva in the full range of his artistic endeavors. This versatility did not escape the attention of Harlas, who dedicated an extensive feature article to Oliva and the Prague art scene of the time. Harlas pointed out the ability of the local artists to work in the applied arts, or rather in everyday art, including illustration, book covers, posters, etc. [Harlas 1896a] According to Zlatá Praha, the exhibition attracted great public attention. It was well attended even on the opening day and this trend continued throughout its duration. Oliva was described as a "perfect artist" whose every sketch was a valuable testimony to his personality. "The public was captivated not only by his skill and diligence, but also by his excellent character and the position he held in the midst of Czech society." [Weitenweber 1896, p. 588]

A large part of the exhibition consisted of illustrations and graphic paraphrases of poems. Oliva's illustrations were considered unusual or unique in the 1890s. This "uniqueness" manifested itself primarily in their modernity, that is, in Oliva's ability to incorporate the image appropriately into the text, but also in his fresh and original execution. Oliva most often combined light ink with white gouache wash, which gave the image an extraordinary liveliness. Harlas, in particular, welcomed the rise of illustration in Bohemia and praised Oliva's skills in this field. Although we do not know the architect of the exhibition, the description in Zlatá Praha allows us to reconstruct its layout. The front wall featured original illustrations for Jan Neruda's book Písně kosmické (Cosmic Songs). Along the side walls were samples of original drawings for Petrklíče (Primroses) by Svatopluk Čech, Mladé štěstí (Young Happiness) by Pavla Maternová, Fresky a gobelíny (Frescoes and Tapestries) by Jaroslav Vrchlický, Žaponsko (Japan) by Josef Kořenský, Malebné cesty po Praze (Picturesque Journeys through Prague) by Edvard Herold, Zpěvy páteční (Friday Songs) by Jan Neruda, and other books. The drawings were selected based on their artistic quality. The exhibition was one of the first to present Czech book culture, to the development of which both Oliva and František Topič contributed significantly. It also summarized Oliva's entire graphic oeuvre to date, with an emphasis on works from the 1890s.

The second, equally interesting part of the exhibition consisted of paintings, mostly in oil. In his review for Světozor, Karel Matěj Čapek paid much more attention to these works than to Oliva’s book and illustration work. According to Čapek, one of the main attractions of the show was the painting for the Slavia café depicting a lively café society, situated on the front wall of the exhibition hall. Other works included the life-sizes paintings of the Madonna, Mary Magdalene, Annunciation, and In Prayer. Landscape painting was represented by Imperial Island, painted en plein air, and the highly praised works Evening and Autumn, which earned Oliva the title of "colourist and landscape painter par excellence" and were praised for their naturalness and deep poetry [Čapek-Chod 1896, p. 622], as well as portraits (Ruth and Živný). There were also several smaller genre works and religious motifs. Paintings of this kind came as a pleasant surprise to the critics, who repeatedly praised Oliva as an outstanding landscape painter. In the December issue of Politik, Oliva was even mentioned next to Jan Minařík as a landscape painter [Harlas 1896b, p. 7].

On the podium was a collection of decorative book bindings that attracted the attention of the critics for its international scope [Anonymous author 1896, p. 4]. The posters on display, on the other hand, were barely discussed in the reviews, with only Harlas mentioning their imaginative layout and striking colour palette. Oliva himself designed the poster for the exhibition, which was then used for other exhibitions at the Topič Salon. He divided the poster space into three strips, with the sides providing information about the exhibition and the centre occupied by an image of a young woman with a wreath on her head and a palette in her hand. Compared to the original, world-famous poster for Topič in the style of Chéret, this concept with a frontal view of the woman painter seems somewhat conservative.

It is likely that the exhibition and its concept were created by the Oliva-Topič tandem without the cooperation of a wider creative team. Zlatá Praha praises Oliva's design and adds: "The taste and chic that characterize all of Oliva's activities are fully expressed here." [Weitenweber 1896, p. 588].

Marie Fiřtová

Works Cited

Anonymous author 1896: Anonymous author, Ausstellung des Malers V. Oliva im Salon Topič, Politik, 1896, no. 291, 22. 10., p. 4

Harlas 1896a: František Xaver Harlas: Viktor Oliva, Ein Kapitel aus dem Prager Künstlerleben, Politik XXXV, 1896, no. 300, 31. 10., pp. 1–2

Harlas 1896b: František Xaver Harlas: Kunsthandlung Topič, Politik XXXV, 1896, no. 353, 23.12., p. 7

Čapek-Chod 1896: Karel Matěj Čapek-Chod, Souborná výstava V. Olivy, Světozor XXX, 1896, no. 52., 6. 11., p. 622

Weitenweber 1896: Vilém Weitenweber, Souborná výstava V. Olivy v Topičově Saloně v Praze, Zlatá Praha XIII, 1896, no. 49, 16. 10., p. 588 

Further Reading

Kristýna Brožová (ed.), Topičův salon 94–99, Praha 2015

Maryna Formánková ed., Viktor Oliva (1861–1928): Literární pozůstalost. Památník národního písemnictví, Praha 1965

Marie Nechvátalová, Viktor Oliva: dekoratér všednosti. Život a dílo umělce z přelomu 19. a 20. století, Nové Strašecí 2016

Jana Procházková, Výstava z díla Viktora Olivy: výbor z kreseb, ilustrací, plakátů a knižní grafiky (exh. cat., Gallery of Central Bohemia), Praha 1977 

Vilém Weitenweber, Viktor Olíva, Zlatá Praha XIII, 1896, no. 50, 30.10., pp. 597–598