(b Casimcea, 19 May 1887; d Bucharest, 7 Nov 1983). Romanian sculptor. He studied sculpture in Bucharest at the School of Arts and Crafts (1903-7) under Stefan Ionescu-Valbudea (1856-1918), Vladimir Hegel (1839-1918) and Anibal Spoldy, and then at the Fine Arts School (1907-11) under Dimitrie Paciurea. In 1915 he studied under Henri Bouchard at the Acad?mie Julian in Paris and also attended Rodin's studio at Meudon. Between 1919 and 1922, despite the loss of a hand during World War I, he continued his studies at the Acad?mie de la Grande Chaumi?re, Paris, becoming a great admirer of the monumental style of Emile-Antoine Bourdelle. He exhibited at the Salon d'Automne, Paris, in 1920 and 1921. Jalea introduced mythological subjects such as Prometheus, Hercules, Minerva and Pegasus into Romanian sculpture, and he also drew on Romanian folklore for his subject-matter, with such bronzes as the Stone-breaker and Briar (both h. 380 mm, 1913-14; Constanta, Mus. A.), as well as the Resting Archer (h. 1.2 m, 1926; Bucharest, N. Mus. A.), which had a Herculean anatomy, architecturally structured and reminiscent of Bourdelle's figures, although in this case the physiognomy had the robustness of an indigenous type. In the 1920s he also produced a series of small statuary groups in clay, plaster and bronze, featuring rustic subjects such as Ploughman (bronze, h. 90 mm, 1924-8; Constanta, Mus. A.) and People with Sacks (bronze, h. 220 mm, 1924-8; Constanta, Mus. A.). Instead of giving an idyllic view of the peasant's existence, these cultivated an almost aggressive realism to convey the hardships faced by agricultural labourers. Among his best-known public works are the monuments to the French soldiers who died in Romania (marble, h. 2.8 m, 1920; Bucharest, Cismigiu Gdn) and to the Romanian soldiers taken captive (stele with relief, h. c. 2.5 m, 1923; Dieuze, France). With Cornel Medrea he made the circular relief at the mausoleum of Marasesti (1938); he also sculpted the Spiru Haret statue (marble, h. 3.2 m, 1935; Bucharest, University Square) and more recently the equestrian bronzes of Mircea the Old (h. 4.6 m, 1973; Tulcea) and Decebal (h. 4.2 m, 1976; Deva). Jalea was a founder-member of Arta Romana in 1918, of the Salon of Romanian Artist Sculptors, of the Criterion group and of the Arta association.
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