Saturday, 2 August 2014

The Themes Of Kafkaesque Art

By Miranda Sweeney


When writers affect us deeply, it is no wonder that their names are adopted and made into adjectives as part of our language. Franz Kafka is one of these writers and the adjective used in this one-world slogan devised from his name basically describes a strongly surreal situation and yet one to which people can relate. His works are widely read and their quintessential qualities have infiltrated not only into our language usage but into many avenues of artistic expression, Kafkaesque art being one of these.

The works of Kafka were marked by a disorientating, sometimes menacing complexity. He managed to combine great yearning together with a sense of impossibility and futility. Kafka himself did stark, graphic drawings infused with this same tension. Many of his drawings have ended up gracing the covers of his books.

His stories are dark and yet humanity manages to identify deeply with them. The strong and absurd images, such as a man becoming an enormous insect or an artist starving in a cage have inspired the imagery expressed by many artists today. The menace of an image like a giant machine used for capital punishment and its implications has also sparked other artistic expression like this.

Metamorphosis is a work of Kafka that has a great influence. It deals with the possibility of transmogrifying from one form to another. When a human being is changed into a large insect, he faces various conflicts. We inevitably start to think about change and our own identity. This kind of thought stimulates artistic expression. We see paintings where humans are depicted as insects and others wear insects have human qualities.

The stories of Kafka are filled with symbolism. The symbolism often lies in the material objects placed in the narrative. In one of his stories, for example, the cage in which the hunger artist performs, is symbolic of his alienation from society. This is another reason why so many readers re-read his stories multiple times and have various interpretations. The same applies to artworks of this nature. They allow viewers to use their own imagination in interpreting them.

Another element that has the same kind of effect is the use of ambiguity. Kafka was a master at using ambiguity in the way he manipulated language. Readers of his work are faced by this ambiguity all the time. In the same way, paintings can also be ambiguous. They may be interpreted by the viewers in different ways and the viewer needs to carefully search for hidden messages.

The themes found in the works of Kafka have infiltrated into so many areas of our modern world. Photographers, artists, musicians and even game players have found inspiration in his works, whether directly or indirectly. The themes of struggle, despair, isolation, yearning and absurdity are all presented in different ways by these artists but the central concepts are the same.

The complexity of the works of Kafka invites us as readers to actively participate in interpreting them. His ambiguity, symbolism and the fact that he does not present answers is something we can relate to in a world that often does not have any answers for us. Whatever art form it takes, this type of expression forces us out of complacent viewing and makes us active participants in the search for meaning.




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