Capa, Robert

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[[Category:Politics and social sciences]]
 
[[Category:Politics and social sciences]]
 
[[Category:Communication]]
 
[[Category:Communication]]
 
[[Category:Biography]]
 
[[Category:Biography]]
  
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{{epname|Capa, Robert}}
  
'''Robert Capa''' ([[Budapest]], October 22 1913 – May 25, 1954) was a famous war [[photographer]] during the [[20th century]]. He covered five different wars: the [[Spanish Civil War]], the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]], [[World War II]] across Europe, the [[1948 Arab-Israeli War]], and the [[First Indochina War]].   Capa documented the course of World War II in [[London]], North Africa, [[Italy]], the [[Battle of Normandy]] on [[Omaha Beach]] and the liberation of [[Paris]]. Capa's younger brother [[Cornell Capa]] is also a photographer.
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'''Robert Capa''' (October 22, 1913 – May 25, 1954) was a famous [[war]] [[photographer]] during the twentieth century, one of the early [[photojournalism|photjournalists]] whose work brought home the realities of life in distant lands to those at home. He covered five different wars: The [[Spanish Civil War]], the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]], [[World War II]] across [[Europe]], the [[1948 Arab-Israeli War]], and the [[First Indochina War]]. Capa documented the course of World War II in [[London]], [[North Africa]], [[Italy]], the [[Battle of Normandy]] on [[Omaha Beach]], and the liberation of [[Paris]]. His blurred shots of the [[D-Day Invasion]] are classic war photos, as is his famous photo of a Loyalist Militiaman from the Spanish Civil War, taken at the moment of his death.
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Capa died camera in hand, taking photographs during the First Indochina War in 1954. His life had been given to bring home the reality of life, and death, in countries around the world in times of war. He recognized that the desire of a war photographer is "to be put out of business," a sentiment that he was able to express so vividly in his work, raising the consciousness of humankind to desire peace on earth.
  
 
== Life ==
 
== Life ==
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=== Early Life ===
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'''Robert Capa''' was born Andrei Friedmann on October 22, 1913, in [[Budapest]], in [[Austro-Hungary]]. Even though he grew up under the [[dictatorship]] of Regent Nicholas Horthy, he followed the ideas of the artist Lajos Kassák, who headed the [[avant-garde]] movement in [[Hungary]]. Kassák's anti-authoritarian, anti-[[fascism|fascist]], and [[pacifism|pacifist]] beliefs heavily influenced Capa throughout his life.
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At age 18, Friedman was arrested by the [[secret police]] for his political activities. He was released from [[prison]], but [[exile|banished]] from Hungary.<ref>Richard Whelan, ''Robert Capa: A Biography'' (University of Nebraska Press, 1994) ISBN 978-0803297609</ref>
  
=== Early Life ===
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Friedman originally wanted to be a writer. Moving to [[Berlin]] in 1931, he first found work in [[photography]] and grew to love the art. He worked as a darkroom assistant at Dephot (Deutscher Photodienst), which was one of the leading [[photojournalism|photojournalist]] enterprises in [[Germany]]. This agency was able to create new filming techniques that allowed photographers to capture fleeting gestures and to take pictures even in poor light. With these advances the photographer could focus on human events and move away from the carefully posed rows of diplomats that had characterized news photography until then.  
Robert Capa was born Andrei Friedmann in Budapest in Austro-Hungary. Even though he grew up under the dictatorship of Regent Nicholas Horthy, he followed the ideas of the artist Lajos Kassák, who headed the avant garde movement in Hungary. Kassák's anti-authoritarian, anti-fascist, and pacifist beliefs heavily influenced Capa throughout his life. At age 18 Friedman was arrested by the secret police for his political activities. He was released from prison, but banished from Hungary. <ref name=Whelan>Whelan, Richard. 1994. [http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Capa-Biography-Richard-Whelan/dp/0803297602/ref=sr_1_2/104-9780470-4438302?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181577892&sr=1-2 Robert Capa: A Biography.] University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0803297609. Retrieved June 12, 2007.</ref>
 
  
Friedman originally wanted to be a writer. Moving to Berlin in 1931, he first found work in photography and grew to love the art. He worked as a darkroom assistant at Dephot (Deutscher Photodienst), which was one of the leading photo-journalist enterprises in Germany. This agency was able to create new filming techniques that allowed photographers to capture fleeting gestures and to take pictures even in poor light. With these advances the photographer could focus on human events and move away from the carefully posed rows of diplomats that had characterized news photography until then. Capa soon mastered the new cameras and was occasionally sent out on small photographic assignments. In his first major break, he was sent to Copenhagen to photography Leon Trotsky. His photos of an impassioned Trotsky addressing the crowd captured Trotsky's charismatic oratorical style. <ref name=Whelan/>
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He soon mastered the new [[camera]]s and was occasionally sent out on small photographic assignments. In his first major break, he was sent to [[Copenhagen]] to photograph [[Leon Trotsky]]. His photos of an impassioned Trotsky addressing the crowd captured Trotsky's [[charisma]]tic [[oratory|oratorical]] style.
  
=== Later Life ===
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=== Later life ===
In 1933, he moved from [[Germany]] to [[France]] because of the rise of Nazism. There he met Gerda Pohorylles and fell in love with her. She helped him along by acting as his agent and writing text for his photographs. Taro suggested to Friedman that they could make more money for a photograph taken by a "rich American," referring to the pseudonym Robert Capa, than she could for the photographs of a poor Hungarian named Andrei Friedmann, effectively creating his new name. He chose this name because he felt it would be recognisable and familiar, as it was close to the filmmaker [[Frank Capra]]'s name and sounded American. (In fact, "cápa" is a Hungarian word meaning shark.)
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In 1933, he moved from [[Germany]] to [[France]] because of the rise of [[Nazism]]. There, he met Gerda Pohorylles and fell in love with her. She helped him along by acting as his agent and writing text for his photographs. Taro suggested to Friedman that they could make more money for a photograph taken by a "rich American," than she could for the photographs of a poor Hungarian named Andrei Friedmann, effectively creating his new name. He chose the name Robert Capa because he felt it would be recognizable and familiar, as it was close to the filmmaker [[Frank Capra]]'s name and sounded American. (In fact, "cápa" is a Hungarian word meaning shark.)
  
Capa's professional career was jumpstarted from here on out. He worked through many wars, including the [[Spanish Civil War]], [[World War Two]], the [[Israeli War of Independence]], and the [[French Indochina War]]. During the French Indochina War, Capa was killed when he stepped on a land mine on May 25, 1954, at Thai-Binh.
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This provided the impetus to start Capa's professional career. He worked through many [[war]]s, including the [[Spanish Civil War]], [[World War II]], the [[Israeli War of Independence]], and the [[French Indochina War]]. During the French Indochina War, Capa was killed when he stepped on a land mine on May 25, 1954, at Thai-Binh.
  
 
==Career==
 
==Career==
 
===Spanish Civil War===
 
===Spanish Civil War===
From 1936 to 1939, he was in [[Spain]], photographing the horrors the [[Spanish Civil War]]. In 1936, he became known across the globe for a photo he took on the [[Córdoba, Spain|Cordoba]] Front of a [[Loyalist]] Militiaman who had just been shot and was in the act of falling to his death. Because of his proximity to the victim and the timing of the capture, there was a long controversy about the authenticity of this photograph. Historians eventually succeeded in identifying the dead soldier as Federico Borrell García, from Alcoy (Valencia) and proved it authentic. This is the best-known picture of the Spanish civil war and it is quite obvious why; it is rare to photograph at close range the instant of someone's death in war. <ref> Whelan, Richard. 2002. [http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/capa_r.html Proving that Robert Capa's Falling Soldier Story is Genuine: A Detective Story] American Masters, PBS. Retrieved June 12, 2007. </ref>
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From 1936 to 1939, Capa worked in [[Spain]], photographing the horrors the [[Spanish Civil War]]. In 1936, he became known across the globe for a photo he took on the [[Córdoba, Spain|Cordoba]] Front of a [[Loyalist]] Militiaman who had just been shot and was in the act of falling to his death. Because of his proximity to the victim and the timing of the capture, there was a long controversy about the authenticity of this photograph. Historians eventually succeeded in identifying the dead soldier as Federico Borrell García, from Alcoy (Valencia) and proved it to be authentic. This is the best-known picture of the Spanish civil war and it is quite obvious why; it is rare to photograph at close range the instant of someone's death in war.<ref>Richard Whelan, [http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/capa_r.html Proving that Robert Capa's Falling Soldier Story is Genuine: A Detective Story,] ''American Masters, PBS''. Retrieved June 12, 2007. </ref>
  
 
===World War II===
 
===World War II===
At the start of [[World War II]], Capa was in [[New York City]]. He had moved there from [[Paris]] to look for new work and to escape Nazi persecutions. The war took Capa to various parts of the [[European Theatre]] on photography assignments. He first photographed for ''[[Collier's Weekly]]'', before switching to ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' after he was fired by the former. When first hired, he was a citizen of Greater [[Nazi Germany]], but he was also Jewish, which allowed him to negotiate visas to Europe. He was the only "enemy alien" photographer for the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]]. On October 7, 1943, Robert Capa was in Naples with ''Life'' reporter [[Will Lang Jr.]] and photographed the [[1943 Naples post office bombing|Naples post office bombing]].
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At the start of [[World War II]], Capa was in [[New York City]]. He had moved there from [[Paris]] to look for new work and to escape [[Nazi]] persecution. The war took Capa to various parts of the [[European Theater]] on photography assignments. He first photographed for ''[[Collier's Weekly]],'' before switching to ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' after he was fired from the former. When first hired, as a [[Hungary|Hungarian]], he was a citizen of Greater [[Nazi Germany]], but he was also [[Jewish]], which allowed him to negotiate visas to Europe. He was the only "enemy alien" photographer for the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]]. On October 7, 1943, Robert Capa was in [[Naples]] with ''Life'' reporter [[Will Lang Jr.]] and photographed the [[1943 Naples post office bombing|Naples post office bombing]].
  
His most famous work occurred on June 6, 1944 ([[D-Day]]) when he swam ashore with the first assault wave on [[Omaha Beach]]. He was armed with two [[Contax|Contax II]] cameras mounted with 50 mm lenses and several rolls of spare film. Capa took 108 pictures in the first couple of hours of the invasion. However, a staff member at ''Life'' made a mistake in the darkroom; he set the dryer too high and melted the negatives. Only eleven frames in total were recovered.
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His most famous work occurred on June 6, 1944 ([[D-Day]]), when he swam ashore with the first assault wave on [[Omaha Beach]]. He was armed with two [[Contax|Contax II]] cameras mounted with 50 mm lenses and several rolls of spare film. Capa took 108 pictures in the first couple of hours of the invasion. However, a staff member at ''Life'' made a mistake in the darkroom; he set the dryer too high and melted the negatives. Only eleven frames in total were recovered.
  
Although 15-year-old lab assistant named [[Dennis Banks (Life)|Dennis Banks]] was responsible for the accident<ref name=Kershaw> Kershaw, Alex. 2003. [http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Champagne-Life-Times-Robert/dp/0312315643/ref=sr_1_5/104-9780470-4438302?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181578580&sr=1-5 Blood and Champagne: The Life and Times of Robert Capa.] Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 978-0312315641. Retrieved June 12, 2007. </ref>, an apocryphal account (which, despite being accepted as untrue <ref name=Kershaw/>, has gained widespread currency) blames [[Larry Burrows]], who worked in the lab not as a technician but as a "tea-boy" <ref name=Kershaw/>. ''Life'' magazine printed 10 of the frames in its June 19, 1944 issue with captions that described the footage as "slightly out of focus," explaining that Capa's hands were shaking in the excitement of the moment (something which he denied) <ref name=Kershaw/>. Capa used this phrase as the title of his alternately hilarious and sad autobiographical account of the war, ''[[Slightly Out of Focus]]''.
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''Life'' magazine printed ten of the frames in its June 19, 1944, issue with captions that described the footage as "slightly out of focus," explaining that Capa's hands were shaking in the excitement of the moment (something which he denied).<ref>Alex Kershaw, ''Blood and Champagne: The Life and Times of Robert Capa'' (Thomas Dunne Books, 2003). ISBN 978-0312315641</ref> Capa used this phrase as the title of his alternately hilarious and sad autobiographical account of the war, ''Slightly Out of Focus''.
  
 
=== Magnum Photos ===
 
=== Magnum Photos ===
In 1947, Capa founded [[Magnum Photos]] with [[Henri Cartier-Bresson]], [[David Seymour]], [[Bill Vandivert]] and [[George Rodger]]. The results of World War Two had left the photographers scarred from what they had scene, but a curiousity to see the different ways the people had survived the conflict, as well as the rebuilding of the war torn areas of the world. The photographers decided to divide different areas according to different photographers, so as to find the most photojournalistic material that way. <ref name=History> Magnum Photos. [http://agency.magnumphotos.com/about/history.aspx History of Magnum Photos.] Retrieved June 12, 2007. </ref> Capa felt that working for magazines and newspapers only allows certain kinds of photography that is limited to newsprint. He said that Magnum would allow photographers artistic freedom to get the kinds of stories and perspectives that regular news agencies did not appreciate. In an interview with with Henri Cartier Bresson, he describes Capa's ideas of [[photojournalism]]: "Capa said to me: 'Don't keep the label of a surrealist photographer. Be a photojournalist. If not you will fall into mannerism. Keep surrealism in your little heart, my dear.' " <ref name=History/>  In 1951, he became the president.
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In 1947, Capa founded [[Magnum Photos]] with [[Henri Cartier-Bresson]], [[David Seymour]], [[Bill Vandivert]], and [[George Rodger]] as "a photographic cooperative of great diversity and distinction owned by its photographer-members."<ref>Today's Pictures, [http://todayspictures.slate.com/20070501/ Magnum Photography Online.] Retrieved June 12, 2007. </ref> The results of [[World War II]] had left the photographers scarred from what they had seen, but curious to see the different ways the people had survived the [[conflict]], as well as the rebuilding of the war torn areas of the world. The photographers decided to divide different areas according to different photographers, so as to find the most photojournalistic material.<ref>Magnum Photos, [http://agency.magnumphotos.com/about/history.aspx History of Magnum Photos.] Retrieved June 12, 2007. </ref>  
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Capa felt that working for [[magazine]]s and [[newspaper]]s allowed only certain kinds of photography that is limited to newsprint. He said that Magnum would allow photographers artistic freedom to obtain the kinds of stories and perspectives that regular news agencies did not appreciate. Henri Cartier Bresson described Capa's ideas of [[photojournalism]]: "Capa said to me: 'Don't keep the label of a surrealist photographer. Be a photojournalist. If not you will fall into mannerism. Keep surrealism in your little heart, my dear.'"  
  
 
===First Indochina War===
 
===First Indochina War===
In the early 1950s, Capa traveled to [[Japan]] for an exhibition associated with Magnum Photos. While there, ''Life'' magazine asked him to go on assignment to Southeast Asia, where the French had been fighting for eight years in the [[First Indochina War]]. Despite the fact he had sworn not to photograph another war a few years earlier, Capa accepted and accompanied a French regiment with two other ''Time-Life'' journalists, [[John Mecklin]] and [[Jim Lucas]]. On May 25, 1954 at 2:55PM, the regiment was passing through a dangerous area under fire when Capa decided to leave his jeep and go up the road to photograph some of the advance. About five minutes later, Mecklin and Lucas heard a loud explosion. Capa had stepped on a [[landmine]]. When they arrived on the scene he was still alive, but his left leg had been blown to pieces and he had a serious wound in his chest. Mecklin screamed for a medic and Capa's body was taken to a small field hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. He had died with his camera in his hand.
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In the early 1950s, Capa traveled to [[Japan]] for an exhibition associated with Magnum Photos. While there, ''Life'' magazine asked him to go on assignment to [[Southeast Asia]], where the [[France|French]] had been fighting for eight years in the [[First Indochina War]]. Despite the fact a few years earlier he had sworn not to photograph another war, Capa accepted and accompanied a French regiment with two other ''Time-Life'' journalists, [[John Mecklin]] and [[Jim Lucas]]. On May 25, 1954, at 2:55 p.m., the regiment was passing through a dangerous area under fire when Capa decided to leave his jeep and go up the road to photograph some of the advance. About five minutes later, Mecklin and Lucas heard a loud explosion. Capa had stepped on a [[landmine]]. He had died with his camera in his hand.
  
 
==Legacy==
 
==Legacy==
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In 1947, Robert Capa along with colleagues, founded Magnum Photos. Magnum has existed for 60 years and the photographers associated with the organization are generally considered the best in their field.
  
In 1947, Robert Capa along with colleagues founded Magnum Photos. As described by [http://www.magnumphotos.com/Archive/C.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.AgencyHome_VPage&pid=2K7O3R1VX08V Magnum Photos], it is "...a photographic cooperative of great diversity and and distinction owned by its photographer-members." <ref name=Magnum> [http://todayspictures.slate.com/20070501/ Magnum Photography Online.] Retrieved June 12, 2007. </ref> Magnum has existed for 60 years and the photographers associated with the organization are generally considered the best in their field.
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In order to preserve the photographic heritage of Robert Capa and other photographers, Cornell Capa, his brother, founded the International Fund for Concerned Photography in 1966. To give this collection a permanent home he founded the [http://www.icp.org International Center of Photography] in [[New York City]], in 1974.
 
 
In order to preserve the photographic heritage of Robert Capa and other photographers, Cornell Capa, his brother, founded the International Fund for Concerned Photography in 1966. To give this collection a permanent home he founded the [http://www.icp.org International Center of Photography] in New York City in 1974.
 
 
 
The [[Overseas Press Club]] created an award in his honor, the [[Robert Capa Gold Medal]]. It is given annually to the photographer who provides the "best published photographic reporting from abroad, requiring exceptional courage and enterprise". <ref> Overseas Press Club of America. [http://www.opcofamerica.org/opc_awards/archive/byaward/award_capa.php The Robert Capa Gold Medal.] Retrieved June 12, 2007. </ref>
 
  
Some of his World War Two shots have become famous, particularly the shots of the D-Day Invasion. The blurred shots he took during D-Day informed the look [[Janusz Kaminski]] used for ''[[Saving Private Ryan]]''.<ref> Meyerhoff, Peter. 1999. [http://www.britannica.com/privateryan/page1.html Imagining D-Day: The History Behind ''Saving Private Ryan.''] Britannica Online. Retrieved June 12, 2007. </ref> The shots are often hailed as some of the greatest early war photography, accurately depicting soldiers in action at D-Day. Robert Capa continuously risked his life for photography and brought home some of the most detailed and in depth war pictures because of his risk. His collection spans a stunning five war period, and his pictures bring the true brutality of war home to the people who may not see it. <ref> Holtzberg, Diana. Makepeace, Anne. 2003. [http://www.unaff.org/2003/f_robert.html Robert Capa: In Love and War.] United Nations Association Film Festival. Retrieved June 12, 2007. </ref>
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The [[Overseas Press Club]] created an award in his honor, the [[Robert Capa Gold Medal]]. It is given annually to the photographer who provides the "best published photographic reporting from abroad, requiring exceptional courage and enterprise."<ref>Overseas Press Club of America, [http://www.opcofamerica.org/opc_awards/archive/byaward/award_capa.php The Robert Capa Gold Medal.] Retrieved June 12, 2007.</ref>
  
==Major Works==
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Some of his [[World War II]] shots have become famous, particularly the shots of the D-Day Invasion. The blurred shots he took during D-Day informed the look [[Janusz Kaminski]] used for filming the [[movie]] ''Saving Private Ryan''.<ref>Peter Meyerhoff, Imagining D-Day: The History Behind ''Saving Private Ryan,'' ''Britannica Online'' (1999).</ref> The shots are often hailed as some of the greatest early war photography, accurately depicting soldiers in action at D-Day. Robert Capa continuously risked his life for photography and brought home some of the most detailed and in depth war pictures because of his risk. His collection spans a stunning five war period, and his pictures bring the true brutality of war home to the people who may not otherwise see it.<ref>Diana Holtzberg and Anne Makepeace, [http://www.unaff.org/2003/f_robert.html Robert Capa: In Love and War,] ''United Nations Association Film Festival'' (2003). Retrieved June 12, 2007. </ref>
*Capa, Robert. 1938. [http://orpheus.ucsd.edu/speccoll/swphotojournalism/index.html ''Death in the Making.''] New York, Convici-Friede.
 
*Robertson, Diana Forbes. 1941. [http://warchronicle.com/journalists/capa.htm ''The Battle of Waterloo Road.''] New York, Random House. Photographs by Robert Capa.
 
*Capa, Robert. 1947. [http://www.amazon.com/Slightly-Out-Focus-Modern-Library/dp/0375753966 ''Slightly Out of Focus.''] Modern Library.
 
*Capa, Robert. 1999. [http://www.amazon.ca/Heart-Spain-Robert-Photographs-Spanish/dp/0893818313 ''Heart of Spain.''] Aperture.
 
*Whealen, Richard. 2001. [http://www.amazon.com/Robert-Capa-Definitive-Richard-Whelan/dp/0714844497/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-9780470-4438302?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181625865&sr=1-1 ''Robert Capa: The Definitive Collection.''] Phaidon Press. Photographs by Robert Capa.
 
*Kershaw, Alex. 2003. [http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Champagne-Life-Times-Robert/dp/0306813564/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-9780470-4438302?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181630133&sr=1-1 Blood and Champagne: The Life and Times of Robert Capa.] Thomas Dunne Books. Photographs by Robert Capa.
 
  
 
==Quotes==
 
==Quotes==
*"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." <ref> Think, Exist. [http://thinkexist.com/quotes/robert_capa/ Robert Capa.] Retrieved June 12, 2007. </ref>
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*"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough."<ref>Exist Think, Robert Capa.</ref>
  
*"It's not enough to have talent, you also have to be Hungarian." <ref name=quotes> Quotations. [http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/robert_capa.html Capa Quotes.] Retrieved June 12, 2007. </ref>
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*"It's not enough to have talent, you also have to be Hungarian."<ref>Quotations, [http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/robert_capa.html Capa Quotes.] Retrieved June 12, 2007. </ref>
  
*"The truth is the best picture, the best propaganda." <ref name=Magnum> [http://todayspictures.slate.com/20070501/ Magnum Photography Online.] Retrieved June 12, 2007. </ref>
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*"The truth is the best picture, the best propaganda."<ref>Today's Pictures, [http://todayspictures.slate.com/20070501/ Magnum Photography Online.] Retrieved June 12, 2007. </ref>
  
*"This war is like an actress who is getting old. It is less and less photogenic and more and more dangerous." (Speaking of WWII) <ref name=quotes/>
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*"This war is like an actress who is getting old. It is less and less photogenic and more and more dangerous" (Speaking of WWII).
  
*"The desire of any war photographer is to be put out of business." <ref> Beach, Patrick. 2007. [http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/other/05/06/0506halstead.html Time's Long Lens.] ''The Statesman.'' Retrieved June 12, 2007. </ref>
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*"The desire of any war photographer is to be put out of business."<ref> Patrick Beach, [http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/other/05/06/0506halstead.html Time's Long Lens,] ''The Statesman'' (2007). Retrieved June 12, 2007. </ref>
  
 
== Notes ==
 
== Notes ==
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==References==
 
==References==
 
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* Capa, Robert. [1947] 2001. ''Slightly Out of Focus.'' Modern Library. ISBN 978-0375753961
* Capa, Robert. 1947. ''Slightly Out of Focus.'' Modern Library. ISBN 978-0375753961. Retrieved June 12, 2007.  
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* Capa, Robert. 2005. ''Heart of Spain.'' Aperture. ISBN 978-1931788021
* Kershaw, Alex. 2003. Blood and Champagne: The Life and Times of Robert Capa. Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 978-0312315641. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
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* Capa, Robert, Gerda Taro, and Jay Allen. 1938. ''Death in the Making''. New York: Convici-Friede.
* Whelan, Richard. 1985. ''Robert Capa: A Biography.'' Knopf, New York. ISBN 0-394-52488-8. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
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* Forbes-Robertson, Diana and Robert Capa. 1941. ''The Battle of Waterloo Road''. New York: Random house.
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* Kershaw, Alex. 2003. ''Blood and Champagne: The Life and Times of Robert Capa''. Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 978-0312315641
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* Miller, Russell. 1999. ''Magnum: Fifty Years at the Front Line of History: The Story of the Legendary Photo Agency''. Grove Press. ISBN 0802136532
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* Whelan, Richard. 1985. ''Robert Capa: A Biography.'' New York: Knopf. ISBN 0-394-52488-8
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* Whelan, Richard. 2001. ''Robert Capa: The Definitive Collection.'' Phaidon Press. ISBN 978-0714844497
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* Whelan, Richard. 2005. ''Robert Capa: Photographs''. Aperture. ISBN 0893816906
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
* [http://www.magnumphotos.com Magnum Photos]
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All links retrieved December 14, 2022.
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* [http://www.magnumphotos.com Magnum Photos]  
 
* [http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/capa_r.html PBS biography and analysis of ''Falling Soldier'' authenticity]
 
* [http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/capa_r.html PBS biography and analysis of ''Falling Soldier'' authenticity]
* [http://www.tidsskriftcentret.dk/index.php?id=526#engl On Capa's photography "Falling Soldier"] Links compiled by Tidsskriftcentret.dk
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* [http://www.magnumphotos.com/robertcapa Robert Capa's Photography Portfolio - Magnum Photos]  
* [http://www.amherst.edu/magazine/issues/05winter/war/capa.html Death of a Loyalist Soldier], Spain, 1936.
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* [http://www.skylighters.org/photos/robertcapa.html The D-Day photographs of Robert Capa]
 
* [http://www.photo-seminars.com/Fame/capa.htm A biographical page regarding Capa]
 
* [http://www.magnumphotos.com/c/htm/TreePf_MAG.aspx?Stat=Photographers_Portfolio&E=29YL53IQQBB Robert Capa at Magnum Photos]
 
* [http://www.temple.edu/photo/photographers/spring03/photographers/clay/Seminar/Robert%20Capa/index.htm Hultquist, Clayton. “Robert Capa ~ Pictures of War.”]
 
* [http://www.temple.edu/photo/photographers/capa/capa1.html Photography Temple. “Photographer Robert Capa”]
 
* [http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/2004-05/27/Stories/20.htm VNS. May 2004. “Photographers mark Capa’s passing”.]
 
*[http://www.iphf.org/inductees/rcapa.html International Photography Hall of Fame & Museum]
 
  
  
 
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Latest revision as of 21:11, 16 April 2023


Robert Capa (October 22, 1913 – May 25, 1954) was a famous war photographer during the twentieth century, one of the early photjournalists whose work brought home the realities of life in distant lands to those at home. He covered five different wars: The Spanish Civil War, the Second Sino-Japanese War, World War II across Europe, the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and the First Indochina War. Capa documented the course of World War II in London, North Africa, Italy, the Battle of Normandy on Omaha Beach, and the liberation of Paris. His blurred shots of the D-Day Invasion are classic war photos, as is his famous photo of a Loyalist Militiaman from the Spanish Civil War, taken at the moment of his death.

Capa died camera in hand, taking photographs during the First Indochina War in 1954. His life had been given to bring home the reality of life, and death, in countries around the world in times of war. He recognized that the desire of a war photographer is "to be put out of business," a sentiment that he was able to express so vividly in his work, raising the consciousness of humankind to desire peace on earth.

Life

Early Life

Robert Capa was born Andrei Friedmann on October 22, 1913, in Budapest, in Austro-Hungary. Even though he grew up under the dictatorship of Regent Nicholas Horthy, he followed the ideas of the artist Lajos Kassák, who headed the avant-garde movement in Hungary. Kassák's anti-authoritarian, anti-fascist, and pacifist beliefs heavily influenced Capa throughout his life.

At age 18, Friedman was arrested by the secret police for his political activities. He was released from prison, but banished from Hungary.[1]

Friedman originally wanted to be a writer. Moving to Berlin in 1931, he first found work in photography and grew to love the art. He worked as a darkroom assistant at Dephot (Deutscher Photodienst), which was one of the leading photojournalist enterprises in Germany. This agency was able to create new filming techniques that allowed photographers to capture fleeting gestures and to take pictures even in poor light. With these advances the photographer could focus on human events and move away from the carefully posed rows of diplomats that had characterized news photography until then.

He soon mastered the new cameras and was occasionally sent out on small photographic assignments. In his first major break, he was sent to Copenhagen to photograph Leon Trotsky. His photos of an impassioned Trotsky addressing the crowd captured Trotsky's charismatic oratorical style.

Later life

In 1933, he moved from Germany to France because of the rise of Nazism. There, he met Gerda Pohorylles and fell in love with her. She helped him along by acting as his agent and writing text for his photographs. Taro suggested to Friedman that they could make more money for a photograph taken by a "rich American," than she could for the photographs of a poor Hungarian named Andrei Friedmann, effectively creating his new name. He chose the name Robert Capa because he felt it would be recognizable and familiar, as it was close to the filmmaker Frank Capra's name and sounded American. (In fact, "cápa" is a Hungarian word meaning shark.)

This provided the impetus to start Capa's professional career. He worked through many wars, including the Spanish Civil War, World War II, the Israeli War of Independence, and the French Indochina War. During the French Indochina War, Capa was killed when he stepped on a land mine on May 25, 1954, at Thai-Binh.

Career

Spanish Civil War

From 1936 to 1939, Capa worked in Spain, photographing the horrors the Spanish Civil War. In 1936, he became known across the globe for a photo he took on the Cordoba Front of a Loyalist Militiaman who had just been shot and was in the act of falling to his death. Because of his proximity to the victim and the timing of the capture, there was a long controversy about the authenticity of this photograph. Historians eventually succeeded in identifying the dead soldier as Federico Borrell García, from Alcoy (Valencia) and proved it to be authentic. This is the best-known picture of the Spanish civil war and it is quite obvious why; it is rare to photograph at close range the instant of someone's death in war.[2]

World War II

At the start of World War II, Capa was in New York City. He had moved there from Paris to look for new work and to escape Nazi persecution. The war took Capa to various parts of the European Theater on photography assignments. He first photographed for Collier's Weekly, before switching to Life after he was fired from the former. When first hired, as a Hungarian, he was a citizen of Greater Nazi Germany, but he was also Jewish, which allowed him to negotiate visas to Europe. He was the only "enemy alien" photographer for the Allies. On October 7, 1943, Robert Capa was in Naples with Life reporter Will Lang Jr. and photographed the Naples post office bombing.

His most famous work occurred on June 6, 1944 (D-Day), when he swam ashore with the first assault wave on Omaha Beach. He was armed with two Contax II cameras mounted with 50 mm lenses and several rolls of spare film. Capa took 108 pictures in the first couple of hours of the invasion. However, a staff member at Life made a mistake in the darkroom; he set the dryer too high and melted the negatives. Only eleven frames in total were recovered.

Life magazine printed ten of the frames in its June 19, 1944, issue with captions that described the footage as "slightly out of focus," explaining that Capa's hands were shaking in the excitement of the moment (something which he denied).[3] Capa used this phrase as the title of his alternately hilarious and sad autobiographical account of the war, Slightly Out of Focus.

Magnum Photos

In 1947, Capa founded Magnum Photos with Henri Cartier-Bresson, David Seymour, Bill Vandivert, and George Rodger as "a photographic cooperative of great diversity and distinction owned by its photographer-members."[4] The results of World War II had left the photographers scarred from what they had seen, but curious to see the different ways the people had survived the conflict, as well as the rebuilding of the war torn areas of the world. The photographers decided to divide different areas according to different photographers, so as to find the most photojournalistic material.[5]

Capa felt that working for magazines and newspapers allowed only certain kinds of photography that is limited to newsprint. He said that Magnum would allow photographers artistic freedom to obtain the kinds of stories and perspectives that regular news agencies did not appreciate. Henri Cartier Bresson described Capa's ideas of photojournalism: "Capa said to me: 'Don't keep the label of a surrealist photographer. Be a photojournalist. If not you will fall into mannerism. Keep surrealism in your little heart, my dear.'"

First Indochina War

In the early 1950s, Capa traveled to Japan for an exhibition associated with Magnum Photos. While there, Life magazine asked him to go on assignment to Southeast Asia, where the French had been fighting for eight years in the First Indochina War. Despite the fact a few years earlier he had sworn not to photograph another war, Capa accepted and accompanied a French regiment with two other Time-Life journalists, John Mecklin and Jim Lucas. On May 25, 1954, at 2:55 p.m., the regiment was passing through a dangerous area under fire when Capa decided to leave his jeep and go up the road to photograph some of the advance. About five minutes later, Mecklin and Lucas heard a loud explosion. Capa had stepped on a landmine. He had died with his camera in his hand.

Legacy

In 1947, Robert Capa along with colleagues, founded Magnum Photos. Magnum has existed for 60 years and the photographers associated with the organization are generally considered the best in their field.

In order to preserve the photographic heritage of Robert Capa and other photographers, Cornell Capa, his brother, founded the International Fund for Concerned Photography in 1966. To give this collection a permanent home he founded the International Center of Photography in New York City, in 1974.

The Overseas Press Club created an award in his honor, the Robert Capa Gold Medal. It is given annually to the photographer who provides the "best published photographic reporting from abroad, requiring exceptional courage and enterprise."[6]

Some of his World War II shots have become famous, particularly the shots of the D-Day Invasion. The blurred shots he took during D-Day informed the look Janusz Kaminski used for filming the movie Saving Private Ryan.[7] The shots are often hailed as some of the greatest early war photography, accurately depicting soldiers in action at D-Day. Robert Capa continuously risked his life for photography and brought home some of the most detailed and in depth war pictures because of his risk. His collection spans a stunning five war period, and his pictures bring the true brutality of war home to the people who may not otherwise see it.[8]

Quotes

  • "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough."[9]
  • "It's not enough to have talent, you also have to be Hungarian."[10]
  • "The truth is the best picture, the best propaganda."[11]
  • "This war is like an actress who is getting old. It is less and less photogenic and more and more dangerous" (Speaking of WWII).
  • "The desire of any war photographer is to be put out of business."[12]

Notes

  1. Richard Whelan, Robert Capa: A Biography (University of Nebraska Press, 1994) ISBN 978-0803297609
  2. Richard Whelan, Proving that Robert Capa's Falling Soldier Story is Genuine: A Detective Story, American Masters, PBS. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  3. Alex Kershaw, Blood and Champagne: The Life and Times of Robert Capa (Thomas Dunne Books, 2003). ISBN 978-0312315641
  4. Today's Pictures, Magnum Photography Online. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  5. Magnum Photos, History of Magnum Photos. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  6. Overseas Press Club of America, The Robert Capa Gold Medal. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  7. Peter Meyerhoff, Imagining D-Day: The History Behind Saving Private Ryan, Britannica Online (1999).
  8. Diana Holtzberg and Anne Makepeace, Robert Capa: In Love and War, United Nations Association Film Festival (2003). Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  9. Exist Think, Robert Capa.
  10. Quotations, Capa Quotes. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  11. Today's Pictures, Magnum Photography Online. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  12. Patrick Beach, Time's Long Lens, The Statesman (2007). Retrieved June 12, 2007.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Capa, Robert. [1947] 2001. Slightly Out of Focus. Modern Library. ISBN 978-0375753961
  • Capa, Robert. 2005. Heart of Spain. Aperture. ISBN 978-1931788021
  • Capa, Robert, Gerda Taro, and Jay Allen. 1938. Death in the Making. New York: Convici-Friede.
  • Forbes-Robertson, Diana and Robert Capa. 1941. The Battle of Waterloo Road. New York: Random house.
  • Kershaw, Alex. 2003. Blood and Champagne: The Life and Times of Robert Capa. Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 978-0312315641
  • Miller, Russell. 1999. Magnum: Fifty Years at the Front Line of History: The Story of the Legendary Photo Agency. Grove Press. ISBN 0802136532
  • Whelan, Richard. 1985. Robert Capa: A Biography. New York: Knopf. ISBN 0-394-52488-8
  • Whelan, Richard. 2001. Robert Capa: The Definitive Collection. Phaidon Press. ISBN 978-0714844497
  • Whelan, Richard. 2005. Robert Capa: Photographs. Aperture. ISBN 0893816906

External links

All links retrieved December 14, 2022.


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