British illustrator Ralph Steadman has been featured previously on Neatorama (specifically, for his Alice in Wonderland artwork and his book The Little Red Computer).
Showcased here are some of Steadman's striking illustrations for George Orwell's fusion of "political purpose and artistic purpose into one whole," his 1945 classic Animal Farm.
Steadman's illustrations first appeared in the 50th anniversary edition of Animal Farm, which was published in 1995. This edition included Orwell's previously unpublished preface to the original, entitled "The Freedom of the Press." In this preface, Orwell writes,
"The chief danger to freedom of thought and speech at this moment is not the direct interference of … any official body. If publishers and editors exert themselves to keep certain topics out of print, it is not because they are frightened of prosecution but because they are frightened of public opinion. In this country intellectual cowardice is the worst enemy a writer or journalist has to face."
Via Juxtapoz
I kept wondering why something close to a 1984 scene would have been included in an Animal Farm book. After going down the linky rabbit-hole I found the caption of the rat-cage illustration reads: Portrait of George Orwell by Ralph Steadman
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