Josef Bolf (1971) is considered one of the most respected Czech painters of his generation, known for his melancholic and often depressive works featuring lonely, suffering figures. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague and was a member of the Bezhlavý jezdec (Headless Horseman) art group. His work often draws inspiration from comics and sci-fi literature, translating into surreal-fantastic scenes or apocalyptic, ruined landscapes with a somber atmosphere—often inspired by his childhood spent in Prague’s South City housing estate. He is typically known for his scratching (grattage) technique.