Rafael Cortiella

Rafael Cortiella (1931–2019) was one of the great illustrators of this country, as well as a draftsman, painter, and advertising and film poster artist. His covers for romantic, western, horror, science fiction, detective, and adventure novels are spectacular—full of strength and dynamism. This remarkable body of work was published in countries such as Spain, England, Germany, and France, and in almost every part of the world.

He began his artistic studies at the School of Arts and Crafts of La Lonja. At around 17 years old, he published his first work: the comic strips of Don Triqui (Ed. Ameller), humorous adventures of a married couple in small landscape-format booklets—stories that had originally been started by Ayné. He later worked for the publishing house Símbolo, drawing comics such as Cobalto, Comando Roy, and Clay Sutton, one of the titles that first brought him popularity and in which he was the sole creator.

During the 1950s and 1960s, he diversified his work in publishing houses such as Toray, Ferma, and Bruguera, producing western, adventure, war, and romantic comics. He also worked with Josep Toutain’s Selecciones Ilustradas agency, creating romantic comics for Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.

Around the 1960s, he focused mainly on illustration, producing paperback and novel covers for the legendary Bruguera Publishing House and for European markets through agencies. Among his works stand out the covers for El Javanés, another seafaring hero created by the artist Carrillo, as well as the covers for the Puck series of young adult novels.

Cortiella moved to Paris for a time to continue his art studies, and later to Brussels, where he attended the Higher School of Art of Brussels. He worked for the German publishing house Bastei Verlag, illustrating covers for the western character Lassiter, and received the Gold Medal of Fine Arts, awarded by Bastei Verlag, in recognition of his twelve-year career with them. His magnificent covers for novels and books of the most diverse themes can be found scattered across hundreds of publications in numerous countries.

Cortiella was one of the founders and collaborators of Club Dhin, formed by several artists to fight for copyright and authors’ rights.

In the 1970s, he entered the world of painting, beginning a successful career as a painter, especially known for his tributes to the female figure, exhibiting in various art galleries. In addition, he directed a drawing and painting workshop for nearly 15 years alongside fellow illustrator and painter Ángel Badía Camps.

In the 1980s, with the rise of video films, Cortiella was in charge of illustrating hundreds of video covers, signing his work as Joan. Other interesting projects included his illustrations for Madelman toy boxes. And, as the slogan for that toy brand used to say—but extrapolated to drawing—Cortiella could draw anything.