Who is Che?

I've often seen this iconic picture of a long and wavy haired man wearing a beret and sporting a beard looking intently towards the left. I've seen his portrait on stickers, posters, t-shirts, and even in modern art museums. I've seen him everywhere, but I never knew who this man was until reading this latest module in the History of Graphics Design course. In this blog post, I will discuss the iconographic image of Che Guevara and its impact it has have on graphic design, iconography, marketing, and popular culture.

Elena Serrano, "Day of the Heroic Guerilla," source: http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRNjGbZeQsFpeAVRmBqwRQKcdo9Qjob4cY1Y2ANY76yv9O3AMiEuztem93H9Q

Ernesto Guevara, who is often referred to as simply "Che", was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist.  He is extremely well-known in Cuba as a hero of the Cuban Revolution and his figure and image is found all over Cuba to this day. More so,  his stylized visage has become universal. It is used as a countercultural symbol of rebellion and global insignia that we often find in popular culture and iconic imagery.

Alberto Korda was the photographer that captured this iconic picture on March 5, 1960 that we often see today. He captured it at a funeral service in Havana for victims of the La Coubre explosion. It was the perfect time to capture the picture of this 31-year old leader, as he had the right facial expression and glance towards the left, showing resolution, determination, a bit of pain, but hope in his countenance.

Korda did a great job cropping the picture and removing any unnecessary distractions. Comparing the original to the now famous iconic picture, she removed the palm tree and man and captured only the top portion of Che's body.

Original Photograph by Korda, 1960. Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/Heroico1.jpg/350px-Heroico1.jpg

The iconic picture after cropping. Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/CheHigh.jpg/230px-CheHigh.jpg

What was produced has become one of the most iconic and reproduced pictures of the 20th century. It has become a strong visual symbol used in graphic design and modern art. I don't believe there has been many other symbols so strong or ubiquitous in recent decades. People involved in counter-culture, political protests, anti-establishment sentiments, hippie culture, or just having a rebellious agenda will use this icon to symbolize their causes. In fact, we see this not only marketed as a symbol of resistance and rebellion, but it is super common in ordinary popular culture. I think it has even become almost over-marketed, becoming sometimes common-place, losing its original meaning and intensions.  That's why I've been seeing this picture all over the place but have never understood its meaning until now! I wonder if this is the usual path of icons that become so mass-marketed and popularized that they then become a but contrite and sadly meaningless. 

What's also interesting is that we can see many reproductions and variations of this famous icon in graphic design. For example, take a look at this stylized poster by Irish artist Jim Fitzpatrick. He made this out of a paper negative on a piece of equipment called a grant in which he printed in first black, then red, and next hand-painted the yellow star on his beret. 

Fitzpatrick variation. Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a1/FitzpatrickChe.jpg/170px-FitzpatrickChe.jpg

Pop artists also took advantage of their own opportunity to stylize their own versions of this iconic photograph, creating vasts array of pop art. For example, take a look at this image looking a lot like Andy Warhol's works. This was made by Gerald Malanga in 1968.

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/89/WarholChe.jpg/200px-WarholChe.jpg

Numerous other variations were produced by graphic designers from all over the world. For example, this was produced to advertise the Tricontinental Conference in 1969:

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6a/CheTriContinental.jpg/160px-CheTriContinental.jpg

And it's even used in billboard ads in India:

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Sfikasaragod.jpg/220px-Sfikasaragod.jpg

And of course, take a look at the now-famous Obama Hope campaign posters that we've been seeing very recently during his campaign. Notice the similarities between the Che icon and Obama's face. The size of his portrait, his glance and countenance, the direction of his face and where he is looking, the flat and simplified colors. I'm sure the designer took inspiration from the Che poster and wanted the same results to make Obama into a political and cultural icon.

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSSd0ABo6WU8vCpZp1r8tO-il5dbDnmRLp87tBWRZvPbQWELwGmPg

Che's iconic image has been used everywhere. I've even read in my research that its been used on condoms. [I won't provide a visual example for you of this for decency's sake]. This just shows how much one image, then right, can have such a far-reaching impact on the world of graphic design, culture, and history.

Sources:
http://www.pslweb.org/liberationnews/news/06-10-08-ernesto-che-guevara-day-heroi.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/books/05/05/argentina.che.photo/#cnnSTCVideohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrillero_Heroico
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7028598.stm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrillero_Heroico