Robert Capa / Spanish Civil War
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darkkavenger
Massimiliano Mortillaro
We organized a photo exposition two years ago where I work (french institute of prague/french embassy) with the czech national gallery about Capa's works... it was breathtaking. That was a man with a passion...
I don't know if it's there at Slate, but the featured photo on invitations and flyers was a young boy (about 9-10 yr old) with a gun and a republican "bicorne" cap.
I don't know if it's there at Slate, but the featured photo on invitations and flyers was a young boy (about 9-10 yr old) with a gun and a republican "bicorne" cap.
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ClaremontPhoto
Jon Claremont
24x30
I don't know my own mind
If you going directly to Magnum http://www.magnumphotos.com/, you can find a lot of Capa's pictures (a lot more than the well known ones). In the photographers list there right below Capa is HCB 🙂.
/rudi
/rudi
R
ray_g
Guest
I read Slightly Out of Focus, Robert Capa's autobiography over a year ago. Very interesting, funny read. Amazing - the guy is also a brilliant writer. Very colorful character.
I don't have one (yet), but the definitive Capa retrospective is on my wishlist. Print quality is also supposed to be very good (according to reviews on Black and White Photography and on TOP).
I don't have one (yet), but the definitive Capa retrospective is on my wishlist. Print quality is also supposed to be very good (according to reviews on Black and White Photography and on TOP).
C
ch1
Guest
24x30 said:
Thanks for the direct link! The better half was looking kind of "askance" when I clicked on the Slate site.
Whew - I wish I was a young 'un again and could more than fantasize!
Chaser
Well-known
ray_g said:
Definately get this book. I picked it up for really cheap locally and it is not only stunning in its content but it helps flatten my negatives well...
dexdog
Veteran
I really appreciated the Capa photos on the Magnum site, they really brought life and humanity to my understanding of the unhappy 20th century civil war in Spain. History books can do only so much to educate one about events. Also, thanks to the tip from a previous post, I just ordered the Capa book from Amazon.com.
Forgot to add that I spent 3 weeks in Spain on vacation 2 years ago. Lovely place and lovely people, I want to go back soon. Great photo ops everywhere. In addition to my digital, I shot 6 rolls of fujichrome. The performance of the digital in interiors of buildings was exceptional, but nothing captures landscapes and street scenes like slide film.
Forgot to add that I spent 3 weeks in Spain on vacation 2 years ago. Lovely place and lovely people, I want to go back soon. Great photo ops everywhere. In addition to my digital, I shot 6 rolls of fujichrome. The performance of the digital in interiors of buildings was exceptional, but nothing captures landscapes and street scenes like slide film.
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Paul T.
Veteran
Yes, the Capa book - The Definitive Collection - is excellent. When it came out i bought one copy for myself, and one for my brother-in-law. I think his style is intriguing and and actually pretty subtle; less mannered or balletic than HCB, very different from any other war photographers, such as Don McCullin, whose work is more graphic and in your face. I only noticed recently that a lot of my favourite photos of his are on square format, I guess shot with a Rolleiflex.
Bertram2
Gone elsewhere
Jon Claremont said:
I've seen the movie BBC had made, a biography, very well done !
Will check the link, thanks,
bertram
VinceC
Veteran
I just looked through the Spanish Civil War photos. Thanks for the link.
While covering Spain, Capa had a very close emotional attachment to another journalist named Gerda Taro, amd they worked together as a team. She in fact was the one who invented th "Capa" name and helped push him to success. She was arguably the more fearless of the two, and was killed in a military vehicle accident. It devastated Capa. His photographs before her death also showed passion, but I think after her death (in 1937), his work shows even more emotion and depth.
While covering Spain, Capa had a very close emotional attachment to another journalist named Gerda Taro, amd they worked together as a team. She in fact was the one who invented th "Capa" name and helped push him to success. She was arguably the more fearless of the two, and was killed in a military vehicle accident. It devastated Capa. His photographs before her death also showed passion, but I think after her death (in 1937), his work shows even more emotion and depth.
taffer
void
Following with what Vince said, some months ago I became quite interested in Capa's history and did some research. Indeed the story of Gerda Taro is a very sad one and in some way an icon of how absurd the war can be.
She fell off the side of the car where she was standing during the Republican's flee from the town they had been trying to defend (can't remember if it was Brunete or Belchite) with so bad luck that half her body was crushed by the Republican tank following them. Friendly fire, more or less, and not even during combat. That's bad luck indeed.
She didn't die instantly but was horribly injured beyond recovery, died in the hospital two days later. According to what I read, Capa was in Paris whey it happened, getting everything ready for their joint travel to China, which they both have planned.
So it's not only her death, but the horrible and stupid way it happened. I guess that had to be a hard to imagine impact for him.
After that, he went on that travel to China, as planned, but alone.
She fell off the side of the car where she was standing during the Republican's flee from the town they had been trying to defend (can't remember if it was Brunete or Belchite) with so bad luck that half her body was crushed by the Republican tank following them. Friendly fire, more or less, and not even during combat. That's bad luck indeed.
She didn't die instantly but was horribly injured beyond recovery, died in the hospital two days later. According to what I read, Capa was in Paris whey it happened, getting everything ready for their joint travel to China, which they both have planned.
So it's not only her death, but the horrible and stupid way it happened. I guess that had to be a hard to imagine impact for him.
After that, he went on that travel to China, as planned, but alone.
Flyfisher Tom
Well-known
There was quite a comprehensive documentary on Capa on PBS last year, with commentary from Magnum photogs, including HCB, on their old friend.
One of his most haunting photos is the last in the documentary, taken in Indochina, with a landscape shot with a solitary moped speeding off into the horizon. Taken relatively close to his tragic death.
One of his most haunting photos is the last in the documentary, taken in Indochina, with a landscape shot with a solitary moped speeding off into the horizon. Taken relatively close to his tragic death.
VinceC
Veteran
W
wtl
Guest
VinceC said:
Interesting. I always thought HCB learned from Robert. My memory could fail me...
furcafe
Veteran
Agreed. What I found interesting about the book was that it shows the high quality of work that Capa did away from the battlefields, which is usually not showcased (except for his famous shot of Picasso on the beach holding a parasol).
Paul T. said:
R
Rich Silfver
Guest
I saw a Capa exhibit in Chicago some years ago and loved it.
Pherdinand
the snow must go on
Some extra info for the interested.
Capa alias Friedmann Andras was born in Hungary and grew up there until he moved to Berlin. For all kind of politic al reasons, mostly, and his main "supervisor" was another photographer of hungarian origins, childhood friend, Eva Besnyö.
In fact, his name, Capa, means "shark" in hungarian. Some people fantasized that the name comes from Capra, a famous person in that time (actor i think), but it is wrong; the schoolmates of Robert Capa incl the above mentioned eva besnyo called him "shark" in school already because of his large mouth and verbally aggressive behaviour.
By the way i know this partly from the bbc documentary, partly from a hungarian photo book about him; he made quite some interesting shots in Budapest when the war (ww2) was just over, this book is presenting mostly these shots.
PS: somehow hungarians / hungary are very good in chasing the great talents out of the country. Many famous people became famous abroad.
Capa alias Friedmann Andras was born in Hungary and grew up there until he moved to Berlin. For all kind of politic al reasons, mostly, and his main "supervisor" was another photographer of hungarian origins, childhood friend, Eva Besnyö.
In fact, his name, Capa, means "shark" in hungarian. Some people fantasized that the name comes from Capra, a famous person in that time (actor i think), but it is wrong; the schoolmates of Robert Capa incl the above mentioned eva besnyo called him "shark" in school already because of his large mouth and verbally aggressive behaviour.
By the way i know this partly from the bbc documentary, partly from a hungarian photo book about him; he made quite some interesting shots in Budapest when the war (ww2) was just over, this book is presenting mostly these shots.
PS: somehow hungarians / hungary are very good in chasing the great talents out of the country. Many famous people became famous abroad.
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