Yes above is the image of Ernesto Guevara, commonly known by the world as Che. He was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, in the same time he’s a physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla war leader, and a diplomat. Though he was an Argentine but he became the major figure of the Cuban Revolution with his best partner Fidel Castro. Che died at October 9th, 1967 in La Higuera, Bolivia. After his death, Che remains both a revered and reviled historical figure. Revered and reviled could be a representative of good and evil.

So what is the point of this with the title?, and you might ask what’s the relation between this great historical figure with the title. Well, please keep continue reading.

My point below is not about Che Guevara as a historical figure. But more like Che Guevara as commodities. As something that really sells, even after his death?.

HOW IS THAT?

The image above is called Guerrillero Heroico. The world’s famous real photography of Che. Taken by a Cuban guy named Alberto Korda. 

Korda snapped the picture of the revolutionary leader in March 5, 1960 at a funeral service for 136 Cubans killed during a counter-revolutionary terrorist attack. Guevara briefly stepped forward onto the memorial service podium and in that split second, Korda captured this historic image.

In the mind, body, and soul of Korda, Che was an honor figure. For him, Che was like a freedom angel, a martyr. But for other people who againts Che. For them, Che was a real embodiment of cold blood mass murderer. So for some people Che was an angel and for some other Che was an evil.

Korda kept the photograph unpublished for almost 7 years. Untill, in early 1967, I gave the photo to an Italian journalist named Gianfranco Feltrinelli. “yes, Korda gave me two copies of the print as gift”, said Gianfranco Feltrinelli.

In October 1967, Che was executed by Bolivian army (image above). For people who honors Che, they were in deepest grieve. But for people againts Che, they were in biggest triumph.

Right after Che’s death, Feltrinelli printed a thousand posters of Che and began selling them, this is the photo which became iconic around the world, and Feltrinelli became very rich off of this photo. After his death, Guerrillero Heroico become Popular Culture, present in any form of commodities. In films. In television. In Music. In books & magazines.In advertising. In fashion. In Art. In theater. In sport.In tourism. In street art and in everything else.  

the Maryland Institute College of Art called the picture a symbol of the 20th century and the world’s most famous photo.

Che in books. Best sellers :

* Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life, by Jon Lee Anderson, Grove Press, 1998, ISBN 0802135587
* Companero: The Life and Death of Che Guevara, by Jorge G. Castañeda, 1st Vintage Books, 1998, ISBN 0679759409
* Guevara, Also Known as Che, by Paco Ignacio Taibo II, St. Martin’s Griffin, 1999, ISBN 0312206526

Che in films.

Actors who have portrayed Che Guevara:

    * Francisco Rabal in El Che Guevara (1968)
    * Omar Sharif in Che! (1969)
    * Michael Palin in Monty Python Live @ the Hollywood Bowl (1982)
    * Miguel Ruiz Días in El Che (1997)
    * Alfredo Vasco in Hasta la Victoria Siempre (1999)
    * Gael García Bernal in Fidel (2002)
    * Karl Sheils in Meeting Che Guevara & the Man from Maybury Hill (2003)
    * Gael García Bernal in The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
    * Jsu Garcia in The Lost City (2005)
    * Martin Hyder in The Mark Steel Lectures: Che Guevara (2006)
    * Sam G. Preston in The True Story of Che Guevara (2007)
    * Eduardo Noriega in Che (2007)
    * Benicio del Toro in Che (2008)

Che in art.
IMAGE ABOVE IS MADE BY ANDY WARHOL IN 1962