Sanjulian biography

Manuel Pérez Clemente (born 24 June 1941; Barcelona, Spain)

Sanjulian is a Spanish painter, most notable for his comics, magazine, and novel covers. He was born in Barcelona, and studied at Belles Arts of Sant Jordi (Royal Catalan Academy of Fine Arts of Saint George) in Barcelona).

Sanjulián began working for Selecciones Ilustradas circa 1962, and Warren Publishing in 1970.

At the age of 20, Sanjulián joined the Josep Toutain's art agency Selecciones Ilustrades. Initially working for the comic section, his full color works were now being seen outside of Spain, in Germany, in the many Scandinavian countries, and finally in England. His comics output in the 1970s include a couple of adaptations of movies and a comic serial in Cimoc magazine. Sanjulián flourished in the British market, where he worked for such outstanding publishing houses as Futura, Fontana, Harrow, and the like.

Nine years later, Sanjulián started being commissioned by clients in the USA, notably Warren Publishing. He worked for Warren titles like Creepy, Eerie, and Famous Monsters, but he is mainly associated with 'Vampirella', for which he illustrated many classic covers. Since then, Sanjulián has worked for various US publishers, including Dell, Ace, DAW, Bantam, Fawcett and Berkeley. Sanjulián has also worked for Reader's Digest and horror maestro Clive Barker. His work has appeared in many fine art galleries in Europe, and he's collaborated on ad campaigns for a Spanish theme park, in Port Aventura.

He has had multiple shows at The Society of Illustrators in New York City, and was a guest at the 2008 Emerald City ComiCon.

Early Career: Started painting book covers for European publishers.
Rise to Fame (1970s): Gained international renown through illustrations for Jim Warren's American magazines (Vampirella, Eerie, Creepy), known for sensual, classically rendered figures.
Key Works: Famous for Warren covers, Conan novel covers, Famous Monsters of Filmland work, and numerous posters/private commissions.
Style: Known for fantasy, horror, and science fiction illustration, featuring rich palettes, realistic subject matter, and contrasting warm/cool colors. Style influenced by 19th-century illustrators and sometimes compared to Velázquez/Frazetta.

He also dedicates time to fine art, using strong classical training for complex figures and backgrounds.

Sanjulian is married with two children; his son, Sanjulian Jr., is also an illustrator.
Source: Lambiek; Illustration Art Gallery

See SANJULIAN ART.