home
about
artists
exhibitions
press
contact
purchase |
|||||||||
|
RICHARD L. MINNS
Biblical Scripture: SAMUEL 17:49-52 David was Israel’s greatest king and, according to the scriptures, Jesus of Nazareth “was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God.” ROMANS 1:3-4
Description of Sculpture: The victorious David, unarmed except for his sling, has brought down the invincible Philistine Goliath with a single stone to the forehead. David ran up to the fallen giant warrior, seized his sword, delivered a coup de grâce, neatly separating Goliath from his head. At the sight of their champion’s decapitation, the Philistines broke and ran, and the Israelites rose to pursue them. Richard’s David stands over Goliath’s giant head like a proud matador, chest out, shoulders back, pelvis forward. He is still holding Goliath’s huge sword behind him in his right hand, his left arm raised in triumph, fingers dramatically outstretched. David’s head is tilted back triumphantly, his face raised only to G-d, and, with a shout of victory, he declares and dedicates his victory to G-d. Just like the Old Masters before him, this 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. From the top of his head to the tips of his toes and fingers, every inch of David’s perfect body shows strength, power, intense and compelling emotion, religious conviction … and the supreme self-confidence and inner strength which can only come from the knowledge that the power of the Lord is upon him. G-d has created David in His image and in Richard’s interpretation, G-d is David and David is G-d. King David stands with remarkable grace. Every muscle in his body shines as a testimony to his glorious deed. No detail is overlooked, from the gums, teeth and tongue in his open mouth to the veins in his hands, feet, legs and groin, to the strain in his toes. David is crafted in Renaissance style, greatly influenced by Michelangelo, Cellini and Giambologna. Goliath’s head and the surrounding stones are greatly influenced by the Impressionists Rodin and Bourdelle. Goliath’s head is squared with a cubic technique Richard mastered when he sculpted his “Cubic Man” portrait. The outside of Goliath’s head and beard is squared off, slowly turning into stone to represent: “Dust to Dust”.
Artist’s Interpretation: “When I originally decided to become a sculptor, the sculpture of David you now see was my goal. It has been my goal and my obsession. “Over the years I have researched King David, made countless drawings and sketches, then developed many small plasticina models to find the right pose, the right movement. Finally I produced my ultimate 50 cm (1˝ foot) working model, then scaled it up to make a large 10 foot steel armature strong enough to hold the weight of 500 kilos of plasticina. “I started on a smaller version of David in wax at the same time I started on the large model in plasticina, working on both simultaneously. The small sculpture was, of course, finished long before the large one. “After I finished my small David, I visited Rome and spent days studying the magnificent sculptures of Bernini and Michelangelo. I have visited the same masterpieces of the Old Masters many times. Each time I see something new. Then I visited Paris for the best of Rodin and Bourdelle. The spirit of the Old Masters flowed into me and I could not rest until I returned to my David. “As David developed, he became real and I truly believe that the power of the Lord flowed into me and into David as I worked. I became a willing prisoner of my creation and I knew that I would only be set free when my creation was finished and David was alive. “Although the sculpture is 2 meters (6 feet 7 inches) tall, it was mounted on a steel platform on wheels 90 cm (3 feet) off the ground, so the actual working sculpture was almost 10 feet tall. My interpretation is that David’s face is sacred and only G-d can see the face of his young champion. Therefore, I stood on a ladder to work on the entire sculpture in order to create the proper perspective. “David was known for his beauty and he is truly the Apollo of the Bible. Therefore, the Old Masters (Donatello and Michelangelo) always portrayed King David in the nude. However, the Old Masters probably paid more attention to their models than to the scriptures. Their Davids are uncircumcised and therefore historically inaccurate. I believe that my David is the world’s first authentically circumcised David. There cannot be an uncircumcised David. The uncircumcised were the enemy. David said to Saul: “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this UNCIRCUMCISED Philistine will be like one of them because he has defied the armies of the living God.” (I SAMUEL 17:36) “In parting, my wish to you is that if you should own my David, I only hope that you will enjoy him half as much as I enjoyed creating him.” Richard Minns |
|||||||||
 artist
return |
|
||||||||
