Franz Kafka 1980

This is Andy Warhol's screenprint of Franz Kafka. The sharp contrast of the light blue face against the inky black background immediately grabs your attention. Warhol’s not trying to capture Kafka’s soul or anything. Instead, he's playing with the surface, using bold geometric shapes and colour blocks to create a mask-like effect. It almost feels like Warhol's riffing on the idea of identity itself, turning Kafka into this pop art icon. I can imagine Warhol in his studio, layering colours, experimenting with the silkscreen, and deliberately leaving imperfections. It makes you wonder, what was he thinking about Kafka when he made this? Was he drawn to Kafka’s dark humour, his exploration of alienation? Warhol turns Kafka into a brand, a reproducible image, not unlike his soup cans or celebrity portraits. It's a commentary on fame, repetition, and the commodification of culture, and how artists inspire each other across time.