Heroic art

So I stumble across this online art gallery, which describes itself as providing "The Finest in Contemporary Romantic Realism."

Which turns out to mean lots of Heroic Figures. I have a soft spot for this kind of stuff. I know it's kitchy, and I don't really want to have any of it in my home, but I do think it's often the right sort of thing for public spaces: think of all that great 1930s WPA art.

But looking at the gallery, the relentlessly Exultant Figures of Human Aspiration start to get faintly creepy, and the descriptive text doesn't help.

My goal is to portray the heroic and romantic in human nature and human achievement in a realistic style and a modern setting.
...
Art that points a way forward to the limitless aspirational possibilities of life-affirming and mind-affirming conscious existence.

I start to think about Leni Riefenstahl, but that's not quite it. Then one of the pieces makes it click --- these are like the paintings and sculpures that Ayn Rand described Howard Roark admiring. And sure enough, you can buy prints of cover art for Ayn Rand's books!