This lecture explores Franz Kafka’s relationship with the visual culture of his era. It traces his influences from the everyday life of Prague and specific local art movements, through the visual impulses radiating from German cultural hubs, to the heights of Parisian modernism.
Drawing on diaries, correspondence, and recently released drawings, visitors will learn about Kafka’s ambivalent attitude towards images, their influence on his writing, and the tension between visual perception and linguistic expression in the context of Central European modernity.
The lecture will also include a reflection on William Kentridge’s work A Letter to Felice, presented as part of the exhibition The Battle Between YES and NO.
