Guerrillero Heroico

This article is about the famous photograph and poster-art image of Che Guevara. The main article, see Che Guevara.

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Alberto Korda's photograph of Che Guevara

Alberto Korda's famous photograph of Che Guevara was taken on March 4, (some source wrote March 5), 1960 at a Cuban funeral service, but was published seven years later. The Maryland Institute College of Art called Korda's photo, "The most famous photograph in the world and a symbol of the 20th century."

Korda used a Leica loaded with Kodak Plus-X. On the same film there were photos of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir that were at that time much more valuable for Cuban newspapers and the photo was not published. Yet Korda made a small cropped print for himself.

The photo became famous only seven years later after the death of Guevara in Bolivia, when Italian publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli obtained the rights to publish Guevara's Bolivian Diary published the image as a large poster. Feltrinelli had obtained prints from Korda a few months before Guevara's death. It was originally planned to use the picture for the cover of the Italian edition of the diary.

The high contrast bust drawing that is based on the photo was made in 1968 in several variations - some in red and black, others in black and white and some in black and white with a red star - by Irish artist Jim Fitzpatrick, an artist most known for his depictions of Irish mythology. Fitzpatrick had received a copy of a print of the photo from a group of Dutch anarchists in 1965. Some believe that the source of this print is Jean-Paul Sartre.

A modification of Jim Fitzpatrick's high contrast drawing

A modified version of the portrait has been reproduced on a range of different media, though Korda never asked for royalties from most of those who reproduced the image because of his belief in Guevara's ideals. However, Korda at least once claimed copyright over the image to prevent it being used in an advertisement for vodka. Korda was a lifelong communist and only wanted to cut down on blatant commercialization of the image, telling reporters:

As a supporter of the ideals for which Che Guevara died, I am not averse to its reproduction by those who wish to propagate his memory and the cause of social justice throughout the world.

It is interesting to note the direction of Che's gaze in the original photograph, as Fitzpatrick's version contains a small but significant modification. In the original, the eyes are focused on the area in front of Guevara, whilst in the drawing, the eyes are gazing towards the distant horizon. There is an epic, heroic significance in Che's pose; in the original image Che appears worried, tense, whilst in the interpretation his face is set in a pose of defiant pride: he appears to be looking towards the future. With this simple alteration the image of Che has come to overshadow the reality, and as such some criticise it as being nothing more than a memetic mass-produced symbol.

Fitzpatrick's graphic was later used by Andy Warhol with the same graphic processes that he used on Marilyn Monroe pictures.

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Cover of Rage Against The Machine's single, Bombtrack

The image was further popularized in 1992, when the politically defiant rock group Rage Against the Machine used a modified version of the image on the cover of their first single 'Bombtrack'. Since then, the image has appeared on countless posters, T-shirts, mugs, stickers, etc. and has become an icon for a new generation of youth in alternative culture. The image is now worn on the chests of a diverse group, from those who truly support the ideals that Che Guevara lived for (usually an image closer to the original picture); to those expressing a more generalised anti-authoritarian stance; to rock fans who may have little or no knowledge of the symbolism or history of Che Guevara.

External links

• Information about Alberto Korda, the photographer
• Jim Fitzpatrick's site: introductory page briefly discusses the poster
• An article about the portrayal of Che Guevara in popular culture, by Andrew Brown.