The historical figure I selected is Ernesto “Che” Guevara. He was the first person that came to my head when I heard the assignment so I figured I should go with my instincts. Che Guevara was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary. He is best known for his participation in the Cuban Revolution with Fidel Castro.
I learned about Che Guevara a very long time ago and I’ve always had conflicting sentiments about him. I admire the reasons why he decided to start a revolutionary movement but I disagree with some of the decisions and actions he did near the last days of his life. At a young age he traveled around Latin America where his experiences and observations led him to conclude that the region’s ingrained economic inequalities were an intrinsic result of capitalism, monopolism, neocolonialism and imperialism, with the only remedy being world revolution.
Now that I went back to do research on him I was surprised to find out about his intellectual and literal interests. Che was a fan of chess from a very young age. His father taught him how to play and by the time he was 12 he was already competing in national tournaments in his native land of Argentina. He was also a fan of literature like works from Pablo Neruda, Federico Garcia Lorca, and John Keats. Apparently the library at his house had over 3,000 books.
Through this sculpture I want to be able to show Guevara’s spirit. He was a revolutionary, a man of courage and determination. I want to be able to capture that conflicting look that most of his pictures have. A look that indicates a mind in struggle for finding peace in a chaotic world. I believe such determination and struggle is what represents Che Guevara. What on earth could cause a spark on a man and would lead him to ignite a fire so big and overwhelming that could change the political structure of nations? -That I what I wish to capture.