Unique

Javier Mayoral’s Nietzsche Applying Nail Polish is a sharp, humorous collision of philosophy and pop absurdity. The painting depicts Friedrich Nietzsche bent over, carefully painting a woman’s toenails with his mouth, while the text beneath states the scenario plainly, as if captioning an image in a surreal encyclopedia. Mayoral’s flattened, cartoon-like style and bold color fields amplify the ridiculousness of the scene, transforming the iconic philosopher of existential despair and eternal recurrence into an unlikely manicurist. With wit and irreverence, the work pokes fun at intellectual seriousness, recasting Nietzsche in a playful act of service and sensuality. It’s this balance of parody, erotic suggestion, and cultural reference that defines Mayoral’s practice - where philosophy meets slapstick and the sacred collides with the absurd.