Dead Guevara

An artist of longstanding political activism, Claudio Tozzi began his artworks on Ernesto “Che” Guevara immediately after he died on October 9, 1967. In this series, he uses famous photographs of the guerrilla leader printed in high contrast on panels and fabrics to achieve the most characteristic features. Such graphic methodology bears great similarity to the ones produced by pop artists—for instance, Andy Warhol’s Marilyn works—, who managed to synthesize the structure of the image to reach a symbolic status. "Guevara morto" (1967) is based on one of the first records of the Che’s corpse. This grieving exercise features a flat surface obtained by the application of a particular acrylic paint—used for road and traffic signs and advertising—counterposed by the roughness of the edges.