I don't know much about José Segrelles Albert, but I know what I like. I first encountered his work in three issues of Redbook Magazine from 1930. He provided a watercolor illustration for a different poem at the beginning of each issue. I saw the following three images and I was hooked.
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| She that is Loved | Fate | Metropolis |
I didn't know where he came from or who he was, but I knew I was in the presence of genius. The blurb under "Metropolis" credited him as "one of the most vital and sensitive of the artists of Spain," so I at least had that much information. How to find more? I looked. I found a few more of his images in old issues of The Illustrated London News, but for decades I had to be satisfied with less than a dozen examples of his work. Discussions with other collectors and artists who knew of Segrelles often mentioned a "BOOK" about him available in Spain. I got an address from somebody and wrote away. No reply. More rumors, more oohs and ahhs over the phone during conversations in which his name came up, more hungering for MORE. Well, I'm here to tell you that my prayers were finally answered when Bud Plant Comic Art managed to offer copies for sale back in 1998 and I bought one.
First off, it's
big: 11 3/8" x 13 3/8" and 188 pages, with 194 illustrations,
mostly in color. Second, it covers his entire career (though the
text is in Spanish). Thirdly: he illustrated a wide range of subject
matter ranging from portraits to religious images to fairy tales
to science fiction to classics - so the mix of images and subject
matter is quite varied. At right is an eerie interpretation of
the Martians from War of the Worlds. (At left is a scene
from El Cid done in oil.)
At left is a watercolor from 1927 illustrating Beethoven's
"Apasionata".
In it you see a nebular cloud in the shape of Ludwig as it kisses
another (female) galaxy. Not only is the execution superb, but
the concept is different and exciting. The Martians above are
also quite unique and original in design and execution. Both are
watercolors. The book also contains some wonderful images from
a two-volume set of Don Quixote. The one image that will
stay with me forever is that of the monsterous windmills as seen
through the eyes of the Don as he charges. Amazing!
One of the special Illustrated London
News contributions was a suite of images from Wagner's Ring
Trilogy. In the December 1933 Christmas issue, four large pages
were devoted to Segrelles' interpretations. This new book has
still more (also attributed to the The Illustrated London News
- so perhaps another issue was also devoted to the
subject!?) including the amazing and complex "collage"
above. What is even more amazing is that the size given in the
book is a mere 26.5 x 44 cm. (about 11"x17").
Other incredible watercolors done for The Illustrated London
News were illustrations from Perrault's Fairy Tales,
Scenes from Shakespeare, Poe, and The Divine
Comedy. He may have done multiple images per issue (as with
the Wagner) or these might have been spread over several issues,
or both!? Either way, the magazine had a large format and good
printing, so it's worth searching out. If I get feedback on the
actual issue dates, I'll update this page. New
information as of June 6, 2001.
The best book about him is the one referred
to above. It's entitled José Segrelles Albert 1885-1969
and subtitled Su Vida y Su Obra (His Life and His Work).
This was published at $350, limited to 3000 copies and contains
all but the first three images on this page (and much, much more).
Segrelles Biografia by Vicente Gurrea Crespo has 291 pages, was also published in 1985, has fewer (but mainly different) color illustrations, more photos and more of his line work. The eerie pile of skulls is reproduced in both of these books.
Unfortunately, that is just about all I know about José Segrelles.
To see more, visit the Segrelles Museum site on the web.
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Illustrations copyright by their respective owners. This page written, designed & © 1998 by Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. Updated 1999, 2001, 2002, 2011. |
