In Ernest Hemingway's short story "The Revolutionist," I think that the paintings are part of Hemingway's iceberg. We don't know which paintings were seen by the revolutionist, but if we consider Mantegna's most famous painting, The Dead Christ, we can see that it is a realistic picture of a dead man. The revolutionist, being an idealist, didn't deal well with reality, and Mantegna's Christ could be a ruthless image of his own end. On the other hand, the idealized Christ by Giotto, Masaccio, and Piero della Francesca fits the revolutionist's image of himself as the savior of the mankind who could bring heaven to earth through the communist revolution. The duality between reality and ideal can also be seen in his opinion concerning Hungary and Italy. Do you think this is a valid point?

The story twice mentions the fact that the young revolutionary does not like Mantegna—for a story this short, two mentions of an event is quite symbolic. In paragraph two, the narrator states, “He was delighted with Italy . . . He had been in many towns, walked much, and seen many pictures. Giotto, Masaccio, and Piero della Francesca he bought reproductions of and carried them wrapped in a copy of Avanti. Mantegna, he did not like." In the last paragraph of the short story, the narrator mentions to the revolutionary the Mantegnas in Milano—his next destination. Again, the revolutionary states his dislike for Mantegna.
Mantegna is considered one of the greatest painters of the Renaissance period. He made large realistic paintings using techniques such as foreshortening and linear perspective. One of his greatest works, “Lamentation over the Dead Christ,” shows the dead body of Christ lying on a slab. There is a realistic portrayal of the nail-holes in Christ’s hands and feet, including the discoloration of the lifeless body. Since this painting is one of Mantegna’s most popular ones, we can assume that it may have been the one that formed the basis of the revolutionist’s distaste. It is also important to note that this particular painting is to be found in Milan. Perhaps the young revolutionist found its portrayal a revolting reminder of the pain and suffering that he had gone through in his journey within the revolution. It is mentioned that “Horthy’s men had done some bad things to him,” which he talks about a little. He appears not to want to dwell on painful memories and would rather focus on the beauty of Italy, its kind-hearted people, and the mountains in autumn. He also quite likes the paintings by Giotto, Masaccio, and Piero della Francesca, mostly idealistic painters. The idealistic revolutionist does not look at what he does not like.
Since information on the particular painting that interested the revolutionist is left out, we could say that these form part of Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory, especially since these paintings, particularly the Mantegnas, are symbolic in the story.