Fairy Tales, Illustrated

Fairy tales are scary. Like dreams, they are images and metaphors for the human subconscious. They represent our deepest fears and desires. Before psychology made them safer for kids, they were supposed to teach children moral lessons, compelling them to behave mostly by the sheer power of their terror.

Little Red Riding Hood gets eaten by a wolf dressed as her grandma? Even Walt Disney, who sanitized many a fairy tale, would not touch that one. Pinocchio gets swallowed by a whale and his nose grows for telling lies; Hansel and Gretel want to eat candy (who doesn’t?) and they end up being trapped by an evil witch. These days, books for kids are much more gentle, but much less persuasive. Great artists have always tackled fairy tales and brought their symbolic imagery to life.

Here are some great artists drawing on the grim tales of the Brothers Grimm.

EDWARD GOREY: Little Red Riding Hood

ANDREA DESZO: The Wild Man and Herr Fix-It-Up

LISBETH SWERGER: Hans My Hedgehog and The Frog King

DAVID HOCKNEY: The Little Sea Hare

MAURICE SENDAK: The Goblins

SHAUN TAN: Rapunzel and The Fisherman’s Wife

WANDA GAG: Hansel and Gretel and Cinderella

See more illustrious fairy tales here.