Sabin Balasa

Sabin Bălașa (June 17, 1932 in Dobriceni, Olt – April 1, 2008, Bucharest) was a contemporary Romanian painter. His works are described by himself as belonging to cosmic Romanticism.He completed his high school education at Frații Buzești High School in Craiova in 1950. Among Bălaşa's most notable works are several large-scale fresco paintings, such as those decorating the inside of the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași.

 In 1973 and 1976 the Bucharest Mayor's office ordered and paid him to paint the portraits of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu. In the late 1980s, Bălașa was accused of promoting the cult of personality. Apart from the works contracted by the Bucharest City hall, no other proof has been produced. Bălașa's father and uncle were in fact imprisoned for more than 20 years for opposing the Communist regime
In June 2005, Bălașa sued the French paper Le Monde for defamation after said paper reproduced a propaganda painting by another painter, claiming it was one of his . Le Monde subsequently acknowledged the error .Wikipedia

 He naturally started from the traditions of the Romanian art, which he assimilated in a creative way, and studied with interest and fervour the history and mythology of the Romanian people, pledging himself to conjure up a fascinating universe of great expressive power, conveying to the onlooker an impression or a rare strength. Whether he paints such heroes of the national pantheon as Decebalus, Stephen the Great, Balcescu or Eminescu, evokes characters of legend, epic or ballad or creates images living beyond time and space, Sabin Balasa constantly remains faithful to the most generous and noble human ideals.( Tutt Art )