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G1489A The Even Sadder Other Half Of Kafka's Double Face
Oil on canvas panel
Apr 2026, Size 344x444 mm

About this painting

On the 3rd December 1911 Franz Kafka wrote the following in his diary:

"The unhappiness of the bachelor, whether apparent or real, is so easy for the surrounding world to divine that, at least if he has become a bachelor out of pleasure in secrecy, he will curse his decision. True, he walks around with his coat buttoned his hands in his high coat pockets, his elbows sharp, his hat low over his face, a false already native smile is supposed to protect his mouth as the pince-nez his eyes, his pants are narrower than looks good on thin legs. But everyone knows how he's doing, can enumerate sufferings to him. Coolness wafts on him from his core, into which he looks with the even sadder other half of his double face." - Kafka, Franz. The Diaries of Franz Kafka. Translated by Ross Benjamin. Penguin Classics, 2025.

This quote inspired this portrait of Kafka. Here we see a portrait of halves, the double face, male and female, dream and reality, and inverse colours. The floor echoes the cobbles of Kinsky Palace square, Prague. I wanted a look of early 20th century. The oak frame with sycamore carving dates from this era too, complete with its original antique glass.

The Even Sadder Other Half Of Kafka's Double Face (Original)
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