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RICHARD L. MINNS
“ATLAS SHRUGGED IV:
Together, We Are Indomitable”
PHILOSOPHY OF AYN RAND: Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged
ARTIST’S INTERPRETATION ‘In 1957, Ayn Rand introduced the world to a new kind of Hero. A Hero molded from the best within man; a Hero who exemplified the joy of individual achievement and, therefore, the joy of life. With passion and conviction, Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged speaks to the Hero in all of us. I will always consider bringing Ayn Rand’s masterpiece to the silver screen my greatest honor’. “Many artists (and even the illustrators of the present ‘ATLAS SHRUGGED’ book cover) interpret the novel with the bearded Greek Titan in the Classical pose, kneeling, burdened with the world on his shoulders. In my view, this was never Ayn Rand’s intention. Her masterpiece novel, originally called ‘The Strike’, is about the world’s individualist leaders going on strike, breaking free of the World of Collectivism (the great escape) … and then creating their own new world of laissez faire individual free enterprise.” “My aim in creating the ‘ATLAS SHRUGGED’ QUADRILOGY is to capture the essence of Rand’s philosophy, as well as the essence of a composite of Rand’s Heroes, and to illustrate Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged” Novel by telling the story in three dimensional sculptures. “ATLAS SHRUGGED IV” is the final chapter of Rand’s novels, “The Fountainhead” and “Atlas Shrugged”: THE UNITING OF THE PERFECT MAN TO THE PERFECT WOMAN to produce a cohabitation of indomitable will and purpose. I have named this final sculpture: “TOGETHER, WE ARE INDOMITABLE!” “My sculpture, as well as Rand’s novels, involves TWO principal leaders: A strong alpha male and an equally strong female counterpart. Each is physically beautiful, each independent, but BOTH share the same ideals and goals, which they pursue with impenetrable resolve and will. Together, they are an indomitable force, leading a new world of laissez faire individualism. Accordingly, they have broken free of the World of Collectivism, and now together they pull the new world of individualism behind them, which is suspended in space, no longer a burden or a restriction”. “Since this is the Genesis of a new world, you can also call my two heroes ‘Adam’ and ‘Eve’, the first man and the first woman of a new society. My Adam is my interpretation of a combination of Rand’s Howard Roark, Hank Rearden, Francisco d’Anconia and John Galt. Eve is Dagny Taggart.” “My interest in Classical Mythology and Psychiatry leads me to Carl Jung’s belief that the ancient Greeks in their advanced wisdom created gods and goddesses to serve as archetypes for humans. Therefore, I also see the two as Apollo (handsome God of the Sun, of the Arts and of Prophesy) and his twin sister Diana (Beautiful Goddess of the Moon, of the Hunt – and the ultimate competitor).” “I hope you enjoy this sculpture only half as much as I enjoyed creating it.” Richard Minns
DESCRIPTION OF SCULPTURE: Richard’s ATLAS SHRUGGED series is his first major step out of his world of neo-classicism into the world of Modern, Contemporary Sculpture. In order to understand this sculpture, it is best to understand the Artist and his motivation to create the sculpture. Ayn Rand, the Russian-American Writer / Philosopher who introduced the philosophy of “Objectivism”, changed the Western World. She also changed Richard’s life. The change began in 1943 when she published the Fountainhead, which had a profound influence on Richard’s life. Richard (then 14 years old) devoured every word and slept with the book beside his bed Then, in 1957 when Ayn Rand published ATLAS SHRUGGED, Richard was 26 years old and he had already become an Ayn Rand archetype. Richard, now 84, has enjoyed a full life, spanning 14 different successful careers, and is now in his final career as a professional sculptor. Richard, always an exponent of Ayn Rand’s Individualism, always obsessed to do things “My Way”, has lived all over the world in a larger-than-life continuous adventure, always the individual, always driven to achieve by his own standards. Now, at the height of his creative powers, Richard has summoned his skills to interpret Ayn Rand’s philosophy in art form. The primary theme of The Fountainhead was individualism versus collectivism, not in politics but within a man’s soul. It mirrored Ayn Rand’s beliefs that the individual is of supreme value, the “fountainhead” of creativity, and that selfishness, properly understood as ethical egoism, is a virtue. This is how Richard has lived his life. Now Richard pours his very soul into the ATLAS SHRUGGED series to express the meaning of his life. One could say that Richard’s Atlas is really Howard Roark and that Howard Roark is actually Richard Minns. “ATLAS SHRUGGED” is Richard’s TRUTH.
“ATLAS
SHRUGGED Richard’s Atlas is not the usual Herculean-bearded Titan hulk, but a tall, slim, muscular, clean-shaven athlete. (Richard’s initial interpretation of Rand’s Fountainhead Hero Howard Roark.) Atlas (Roark) has broken free of the World of Collectivism and is running forward to create his own individual destiny. The World is behind him, suspended in space, defying gravity, as Atlas now controls the World, pulling it behind him.” Richard’s aim in “ATLAS SHRUGGED IV” is to capture the essence of Rand’s philosophy as well as the Heroes in Rand’s novels, and illustrate the final chapter in Rand’s novels. Atlas and Eve are cast in bronze with a Classic Rich Brown Patina. The World is cast in highly polished aluminum. The straps holding the World are strong stainless steel with a satin finish. The oval base is stainless steel, polished to reflect a double image of the sculpture like a mirror.
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