John R. Neill: The Grandfather of Bizarre Art

Maybe calling John R. Neill the grandfather of bizarre art is a bit of an overstatement, since there are other illustrations and graphics from this time period that are equally as surreal (some of which I hope to share here soon). But when you take into account the enduring popularity of his Oz illustrations, (which have the same inseparable connection to the Oz books as John Tenniel’s engravings have with Alice in Wonderland,) then you begin to realize that it’s not too big an overstatement.

For those of us who grew up with the Oz books, it’s the imagery that really helped cement the stories into our consciousness in a way that the prose by itself wouldn’t have. It’s the colorful and fanciful depictions of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, etc., and of the beautiful land of Oz itself, that transported us into that fantastic realm.

Because these were works of fantasy, any illustrator would have had to draw similar subject matter, but there’s a subtle right and wrong to it which Neill intuitively mastered. For this reason, I wanted to take this time to more closely examine and appreciate the most bizarre of his illustrations. These range from goofy to downright trippy, but they all stay well within the realm of the bizarre and the weird. To enable you to more fully appreciate the craziness of this art, I’ve decided to show each piece without revealing the context. (And who knows! Maybe after this, you’ll be eager to read an Oz book, and perhaps even become an Oz devotee yourself!)

Let’s get started!