"ATLAS SHRUGGED I: ESCAPE TO FREEDOM"
Bronze, Aluminum, Stainless Steel
Atlas:                                                 Bronze, Classic Rich Brown Patination
World:                                                Aluminum, Highly Polished both sides
Base:                                                 Stainless Steel, polished to reflect
                                                          Sculpture like a mirror
102cm high x 70cm long x 54cm wide (3ft 4 in high x 21 in long x 22in wide)
Circular Stainless Steel base:     3ft 4in high x 2ft 4in long x 21 in wide (Turntable hidden inside to rotate sculpture 360º)

PHILOSOPHY OF AYN RAND

ON OBJECTIVISM:
“My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral concept of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute.”    Ayn Rand

ON INDIVIDUALITY:
“Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision”   Ayn Rand

ARTIST’S INTERPRETATION
“ATLAS SHRUGGED I: ESCAPE TO FREEDOM”  IS THE BEGINNING of my Quadrilogy of four different sculptures, each illustrating a different part of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged masterpiece novel.”

“My Atlas is not the usual Herculean thick-bearded Titan hulk, but a tall, slim, muscular clean-shaven athlete.  He is actually my interpretation of a composite of all of Rand’s larger-than-life Alpha males (i.e. Howard Roark, John Galt, Hank Rearden, Francisco D’Anconia.)”

“Although all of my four Atlas sculptures have the same face (with different expressions, of course) and Atlas II, III and IV have similar tall muscular bodies, I have made Atlas I physically more powerful because he has to look strong enough to SMASH and RIP his way out of the suffocating World of Collectivism.”

“Atlas has carried the weight of the World on his shoulders, but because of increasing government controls to establish a state of total collectivism, the weight of freeloaders is too much to bear.  Accordingly, Atlas breaks out of the suffocating World of Collectivism.”

“This is Atlas’ initial ESCAPE TO FREEDOM.  The Wall Atlas is crashing out of represents the World, complete with Continents.  After Atlas is free of the world of Collectivism, he will then create his own perfect world (see “Atlas Shrugged II”), conceived in freedom of individual rights and embodied in laissez faire capitalism, which is illustrated in the next sculpture.”

“Atlas is angry.  He has had enough.  He is literally SMASHING his way out of the World, reaching out to FREEDOM.  I want this sculpture to invoke POWER, FORCE, MOVEMENT – the indomitable free will of Man.”

“I hope you enjoy this sculpture half as much as I enjoyed creating it.”

Richard L. Minns

DESCRIPTION OF SCULPTURE
“Richard Minns was born to be a sculptor.  He has created his own sculptural language: realistic and physical, with anatomical perfection, highly charged with emotion and movement, conveying sexuality in the way of Michelangelo, Rodin and Bourdelle”

Leon Bronstein
International Sculptor

The above tribute to Richard’s skills is easily evidenced by his Atlas Shrugged Quadrilogy.

In Richard’s hands, clay, wax, plasticina, bronze, stainless steel, brass and aluminum have been transformed into figures that manifest the human condition.  Richard understands the possibilities of the male and female nude and the spectacle of muscles in movement.  Every inch of Richard’s Atlas Shrugged sculptures, from head to toe, convey the total spectrum of human emotion.

ATLAS SHRUGGED I:  ESCAPE TO FREEDOM literally EXPLODES with POWER as Richard’s Atlas SMASHES his way out of the word, reaching out to FREEDOM.

Richard’s Atlas I is the embodiment of physical force.  As you turn the sculpture around on its turntable, you will note from Atlas’ toes to his fingers, from his calves to his thick legs, powerful buttocks and explosive back, every muscle in Atlas’ body is in play.

Atlas I is Richard’s opportunity to display his mastery of human anatomy and to show an athletic young male body at the height of physical excellence.

Atlas is cast in Bronze with a classic rich dark brown patination. The Wall (representing the world of Collectivism) is cast in highly-polished Aluminum, reflecting a mirror image of Atlas.  The Base is highly polished Stainless Steel, also reflecting a mirror image.