In this Sanjulián self-portrait, the horror facet of his career can be seen in the upper left-hand corner.

The Spanish artist, Manuel Pérez Clemente—known to the world as Sanjulián—died yesterday at the venerable age of eighty-five. I have written a couple of blog posts about Sanjulián in the past wherein I made my admiration for his work quite clear. In a post from 2021, I laid out a summary of his career to that point. For those who are clickophobic, I’ll just quote from Comicbook Clique’s Facebook post from a few hours ago:

"Manuel Pérez Clemente, known professionally as Sanjulián, has passed away at 85. The Spanish illustrator died on October 14, with the news confirmed by documentary filmmaker and longtime friend David García Sariñena, citing the artist’s family.
For generations of readers, Sanjulián’s paintings helped define the look of horror and fantasy on the comic-book newsstand. His work for Warren Publishing’s Vampirella, Creepy, and Eerie brought a striking painterly sophistication to stories filled with monsters, vampires, and the macabre.
His talent extended far beyond horror magazines. Sanjulián illustrated fantasy novels, including Conan the Barbarian stories, and created film-related artwork connected to major franchises such as Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. His paintings earned admiration from filmmakers including George Lucas and Peter Jackson.
What made Sanjulián’s art so memorable was his command of atmosphere. His use of light, shadow, color, and classical composition gave his subjects a sense of grandeur, even when depicting the darkest corners of fantasy. His covers could make a reader stop and stare before they had even opened the magazine.
Sanjulián belonged to a remarkable generation of illustrators whose work helped shape how horror, fantasy, and science fiction were imagined by readers around the world. His influence lives on in the artists who continue to draw inspiration from his paintings.
A true master has left us, but the worlds he brought to life will endure.
Rest in peace, Sanjulián."

As was the case with Mike Kaluta, I had been considering doing a post on the macabre/weird/horror art of Sanjulián, especially since I'd missed his eighty-fifth birthday. Now, his death has made that almost mandatory.

Even moreso than Kaluta, Sanjulián's career was steeped in the weird and uncanny. Most American fans of 'genre' art first came to know him through the covers of Warren magazines like Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella, which venues he dominated after Frazetta moved on to greener pastures. When Warren folded in the early '80s, Sanjulián continued to paint works of dark fantasy and horror for various magazines, book covers and private commissions almost until the day he died. It strikes me that Sanjulián was born during the height of summer--echoed in his paintings of high adventure--and died two weeks short of Halloween/Samhain. It seems fitting.

Feel free to peruse the gallery of shuddersome and eldritch Sanjulián art below.

Descanse en paz, Manuel. I raise a glass to your shade.