This lithograph is a powerful surreal portrait of Franz Kafka. The artist depicts the writer in a formal suit, with his recognizable facial features clearly rendered in the lower half of the portrait. The upper part of his head dramatically transforms into swirling, smoke-like forms intertwined with mechanical pipes, brick structures, and industrial elements.

Through this striking imagery, Filip Burian symbolizes Kafka’s inner world — the tension between human vulnerability and the oppressive, machine-like bureaucracy and alienation that dominate his literary universe. The portrait is both realistic and fantastical, reflecting themes of transformation, identity, and existential anxiety central to Kafka’s work.
Signed and numbered 10/60, this is a strong collector’s piece that beautifully bridges literature and visual art.