Richard 'Ricky' Armendariz American, b. 1969
If You Can Keep Your Head, Anderson Ranch Residency, CO,, 2022
Woodblock on Japanese paper
20 x 20 in
50.8 x 50.8 cm
50.8 x 50.8 cm
Edition of 4
If You Can Keep Your Head and If You Can Keep Your Head (Aquarius) take inspiration from the Rudyard Kipling poem titled IF. If you can keep your head when...
If You Can Keep Your Head and If You Can Keep Your Head (Aquarius) take inspiration from the Rudyard Kipling poem titled IF.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
Armendariz interprets this poem by understanding that “If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs...(and blaming it on you)…life will be challenging, but if you can keep your cool and be flexible like the reed in the river, you will persevere." Upon further If You Can Keep Your Head and If You Can Keep Your Head (Aquarius) take inspiration from the Rudyard Kipling poem titled IF.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
Armendariz interprets this poem by understanding that “If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs...(and blaming it on you)…life will be challenging, but if you can keep your cool and be flexible like the reed in the river, you will persevere." Upon further examination of these works the viewer can see hawks “falling” a phenomenon known as “whiffling." This further illustrates the idea that while all of those around you might be losing their composure, you are staying composed amidst the madness. of these works the viewer can see hawks “falling” a phenomenon known as “whiffling." This further illustrates the idea that while all of those around you might be losing their composure, you are staying composed amidst the madness.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
Armendariz interprets this poem by understanding that “If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs...(and blaming it on you)…life will be challenging, but if you can keep your cool and be flexible like the reed in the river, you will persevere." Upon further If You Can Keep Your Head and If You Can Keep Your Head (Aquarius) take inspiration from the Rudyard Kipling poem titled IF.
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
Armendariz interprets this poem by understanding that “If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs...(and blaming it on you)…life will be challenging, but if you can keep your cool and be flexible like the reed in the river, you will persevere." Upon further examination of these works the viewer can see hawks “falling” a phenomenon known as “whiffling." This further illustrates the idea that while all of those around you might be losing their composure, you are staying composed amidst the madness. of these works the viewer can see hawks “falling” a phenomenon known as “whiffling." This further illustrates the idea that while all of those around you might be losing their composure, you are staying composed amidst the madness.
