Brief introduction of robert capa

Robert Kappa (191310/22 October-1954 May 25) is a Hungarian-American photojournalist and one of the most famous war photographers in the 20th century. Born in Budapest during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a Jewish family was originally named AndréFriedmann. In order to make it easier for others to remember, it adopted the name of robert capa. From 65438 to 0947, he founded the famous magnum photos with Bresson, the advocate of "decisive moment", and became the first cooperative organization of freelance photographers in the world. 1954 On May 25th, when Kappa was covering the first Indian-zhina war in Vietnam, he strayed into a minefield and stepped on a mine, and was killed.

Chinese name: robert capa.

Robert Capa

Alias: Andrew Friedman

Nationality: USA

Place of birth: Budapest, Austria-Hungary

Date of birth:1913101October 22nd.

Date of death:1May 25, 954

Occupation: War photographer

Main achievements: Five important wars in the 20th century were reported.

Magnum photo company was founded with Bresson.

Masterpieces: The Tragedy of Vietnam, The Death of a Soldier.

The life of the character

From 65438 to 0936, fascism rose in many countries. Franco, Spain, launched a civil war. Like many celebrities at that time, Kappa joined the intelligence department of the People's Front. War is hard. One day, Kappa was in the trench at the front. A soldier jumped out of the trench and prepared to attack the enemy. Suddenly, his body stopped and the bullet hit his head. Faced with this unexpected event, Kappa instinctively pressed the shutter. This is a tragic photo of Zhang Fasheng in an instant. Kappa is famous all over the world because of this photo published in Life magazine. (According to the 20 13 nhk documentary "Destiny's Work ~ Revealing the Truth of robert capa's" Dead Soldier ",it is speculated that this" Dead Soldier "did not die at the moment, but fell down during the exercise. It was not Kappa himself who took the photo, but his lover Gerda Taro who went to shoot with him. ) But Kappa hates war, and he is determined to make war the theme of his life interview. Not to pursue excitement, but to expose the cruelty of war. This immersive work was published with the titles of Spanish Warrior, Martyr on the Battlefield and Time of Death, which immediately shocked the photography circle at that time and became an immortal work of war photography, as well as a representative work of Capa. Kappa went to Spain to interview his young girlfriend, German photographer Gerd Dana. They * * * haunted the battlefield filled with smoke with despair, and Dana died unfortunately under the track of the tank. The sad kappa stared at the battlefield forever. Most of his life's photographs are set in the war. He used the camera as a weapon to expose the war. Kappa said: "The camera itself can't stop the war, but the photos taken by the camera can expose the war and stop the development of the war. "

1937, Japanese militarism launched a war of aggression against China. The following year, Kappa and Si Nuo, the author of Red Star over China, agreed to go to Yan 'an for an interview. However, when he arrived in Xi 'an, he was stopped by the Kuomintang and Kappa could not make it. At that time, he was the only War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression allied war correspondent who could interview in China war zone. In Shanghai and other places, he took many news photos exposing the crimes of the Japanese invaders and made them public. Later, he went to Britain, North Africa and Italy for photo interviews.

1943 In the spring, Kappa came to Algiers, Africa, to photograph the desert, guns and bodies.

1June 6, 944, opened the second battlefield with the allies and participated in the Normandy landing plan. Later, he took photos in Paris and Berlin and made excellent reports. A young monitor who was shooting with a machine gun stood up, as if to confirm whether he could be the protagonist of the photo. He glanced at Capa and fell silent. Blood gushed from between my eyes. The relationship between death and survival is as simple as that.

After World War II, he continued to photograph wars and ruins, as well as people on the ruins.

1946, Kappa met Seymour of Polish nationality and Bresson of French nationality in new york. They set up "Ma Genan" photo news agency, with offices in Paris and new york. Later, he joined other famous photographers, such as Jia Luo in the United States and Bisov in Switzerland. In the 30 years since the founding of magnum photos, great events have happened in every corner of China and the West, and their photographers are present. They shoot with selfless enthusiasm and even go deep into the front line with blood and life, setting a new example for the form and content of news photography.

1954, Kappa went to the battlefield in Vietnam despite the dissuasion of relatives and friends. 1954 On May 25th, Kappa unfortunately stepped on a mine and died at the age of 4 1 year.

dependent event

I, Andre Friedman

Andre Friedman is an autobiographical article written by none other than Capa. How Friedman became Kappa is a wonderful anecdote in the history of photography. Born in Budapest, Hungary, Friedman was very interested in politics when he was in middle school. He had intended to join the * * * production party. At a secret party, he withdrew his bet at the last minute and turned away. Unexpectedly, the next day he was followed by the government authorities and his family was questioned. Friedman had to sneak out of the country immediately and go to Germany to study. From then on, he never said goodbye to his relatives in his hometown. That year, he was 18 years old. Friedman went to Berlin to work part-time as a master assistant in a photo studio. In this way, he became attached to photography. Three years later, he went to Paris to break the world and created one of the most famous imaginative photographers in the world, Rob Kappa. The scheming Friedman and his Spanish girlfriend Jack Cater Tarot (GerdaTalc died on the front line of the Spanish Civil War after breaking up with Capa in 1937) rented an office in Paris, claiming to be the agency of the young and rich American video player Rob Capa. Friedman is responsible for making photos, while Tarot uses her long sleeves to promote them, saying that because Mr. Kappa is extremely rich and disdains making a living from photos, each photo must be 150 francs, otherwise it is impossible, and it is up to you to buy or not. This price was three times the highest price at that time, but it was simply tarot. A few months later, there was a "Kappa fever" in the market, and important European newspapers rushed to ask for photos of this "great photographer" who only knew his name. In addition, Tarot played the same trick on American news organizations, claiming that "Capa" was a young and rich video master in Paris and made a lot of money. Of course, it's not just luck. Friedman's excellent photographic motivation is the main reason for his success. However, this scam was finally exposed by Ke Cheng, the photo editor of Vu magazine. There was a riot at an international conference in Geneva. All the reporters were rudely driven away by the Swiss police, but Friedman got in and got an exclusive feature. Coincidentally, this scene was clearly seen by Tick nearby. Three days later, the photo was sent to Tonk's desk. He called Capa's agent, and Tarot replied, "These exclusive photos of Mr. Capa cost 300 francs each." Zhan Chong replied, "It's quite new about Kappa, but please tell Friedman that that ridiculous little hand wearing a dirty leather jacket will report to my office at nine tomorrow morning." In this way, Andre Friedman had to make his official appearance as robert capa. Nowadays, everyone has almost forgotten Kappa's real name.

Champagne betting on Ma Genan.

Kappa became more popular after its appearance, and wars around the world gradually increased. He started running around all year round, slamming the shutter faster than a bullet. 1936 First visit to the United States; 1938 went to Japan and Chinese mainland; 1939, he went to Europe and then to the United States; From 194 1 year to 1945, he began to take photos for Life magazine in various war zones in Europe. These works were all flown back to the United States by military plane before the negatives were developed and enlarged by others. Kappa often can't see his works until several months or even a year later. He was in the trenches all day, but his fame has spread all over the world. Kappa has almost become synonymous with war reporters. Apart from influencing countless backward people with battlefield photography, Kappa's greatest achievement in the history of photography is the establishment of the most influential photography organization in history-Ma Genan. 1947, Kappa called several colleagues-Bresson, DavidSeymour and GeorgeRodger, and planned to set up an organization to distribute photos of images in troubled times. When they were struggling with the name of the company, Kappa had a brainwave and chose the name of champagne-"Ma Genan". "Ma Genan" is a bucket of two quarts of champagne, which is often drunk at parties celebrating the survival of friends, which also reflects Capa's humorous personality and Lotte know life's outlook on life. Kappa was the leader of Ma Genan until his death. Without him, this group would not be where it is today, and it would not be the gathering place for all the top photographers in the world. In the early days, Kappa often relied on betting on horses to turn over the salaries of employees and colleagues. Bresson was often used as a gambling book by Capa because of his reward, and he had a big fight with him. But everyone knows Kappa is betting on the survival of the whole group, so they don't care much. Kappa has hardly published any photographic ideas. He is highly educated and still keeps the habit of taking notes in the trenches, but they are all notes at that time, his own words about life, fate, war, friendship and feelings. His most famous photographic quote is: "If your photos are not good enough, it is because you are not close enough to the gunfire." His photos don't make people feel the importance of skills, but show a period of courage that can be bought with life. This brave spirit makes his photos regarded as classics by people of any school, and no one will criticize him for being exquisite enough, powerful enough to convey, compact enough to cut, appropriate enough to shutter, and rich enough in color. His most famous photo "lens" is of poor quality, while another frame "Normandy Landing" is even blurred. Focal length, aperture and shutter are all useless terms in his photos. He takes pictures with his life, not with machines, so Kappa is the only photographer who is called "the great man" by ordinary people.

Lucky kappa

Kappa has always been known for his good luck, and other journalists in the same industry nicknamed him "Lucky Kappa". The day he died, his burial place, Taibin, was just after the war. Several reporters walked out of the trench together, and Kappa, who was carrying a camera, said that he would take a walk around to see if there was anything to shoot. Soon, these reporters heard the explosion coming from the direction of Kappa, and everyone couldn't help saying, "Damn, lucky Kappa hit again." As a result, the mine took Kappa's life! Since then, the world has lost another great man-robert capa.

Personality influence

1On May 25th, 954, every evening newspaper in America published the news of Kappa's death. The next day, the Daily News reported "About the Death of Kappa" with a headline, and TV stations, radio stations and times all over new york also reported in a large space, unanimously praising him as one of the bravest war photographers. In order to commemorate him, Kappa's personal works have been exhibited for thirteen times around the world, and he has been introduced in many world-influential photography books and periodicals. Kappa's works have been published in America, Britain and France. 1955 American Life magazine and overseas journalists' club set up the robert capa Gold Award to encourage photographers who have made achievements in news photography. 1966, the United States established the "Caring for People Photography Foundation" to commemorate the photographers who died in magnum photos, such as Kappa.

Personal quotations

1. If your photo is not good enough, it is because you are not close enough.

Talent is not enough, you must be Hungarian.

The truth is the best photo and the best publicity.

This war (referring to World War II) is like an aging actress, less and less photogenic and more and more dangerous.

I hate war, so I'm going to expose it (with lens and pen).

6. The camera itself cannot stop the war, but the photos taken by the camera can expose the war and stop the development of the war.

Evaluation of works

Few people discuss Capa's works. There is no need to discuss them. Just looking at them is enough. Contemporary writers, poets and photographers. E heminyway: "Kappa, he is a good friend, a great and very brave photographer. For everyone, he is not afraid of 10,000 just in case, but he will be unlucky when he meets' one thousand', which is even worse for Kappa. He is alive, and it is long and sad to think of the day when he died. " J Steinbeck "I don't know anything about photography. The kappa I want to say is purely from a layman's point of view, and experts should also tolerate me. " For me, Kappa really proves that a camera is not necessarily a cold machine. Just like a pen, it is as good as the person who uses it. It can show the mind and soul. Capa knows what he is looking for, and when he finds it, he knows how to deal with it. For example, war can't be filmed because it is generally a kind of "passion", but he did capture the "passion" in the war, and he can show the advantages of the whole nation in a child's face. His work itself is a picture of Zhang Weida's heart and sadness. No one can take his place. We are lucky to have human characteristics in his photos. The young man "L Aragon" is full of courage and inexhaustible energy. Where there is war, there is him. He ran around in troubled times, as if he felt a sense of mission. He always used his camera to capture the line between life and death. In our divided and bloody era, human beings have become victims of nothing more than events, and he is the self-expression of such stories. Irwin shaw (I Shaw) "He lives like the best soldier and abides by the strictest military laws. He always drives to the bullets. In the era of robert capa, gunshots have always been a permanent feature of the landscape. " E. Steichen: "Rob Capa knows and hates war. In his vivid and true photos, like Gowa's famous painting "The Disaster of War", he reveals the sincere and strong feelings of human beings, and he records the horror and absurdity of war. "

Personality assessment

Robert Capa (19 13- 1954) is more qualified than anyone to speak on behalf of war reporters, expressing the mentality and cost of exchanging life for images. He is the most famous war correspondent in history, and his photography career is like gambling. During World War II, in various war zones-Spanish Civil War, Japanese invasion of China, North Asia War, Italian War, Normandy Landing War and French Liberation War, he exchanged his own flesh and blood for a space negative in Leica camera. He never withdrew his bets from the gambling table at the last minute. He always held the lofty sentiments of winning and not losing and resigned himself to fate, and put all his eggs in one basket, waiting for the beads on the roulette wheel to stop at that number. Kappa won the war photos that no one can match up to now, but on May 25th, 1954, he lost his life in a small gambling game-he accidentally stepped on a mine and was blown to pieces. Robert capa, an image soldier who fought for his life, will always be branded in people's hearts. His photos have become symbols of mankind and war. He hated war all his life and wanted to use images to awaken people's conscience and stop killing each other. His death is the last advice to mankind. Looking at the photo of the card, it seems that you can hear the sound of bullets flying and shells rumbling. Every frame is evidence of human stupidity.

In people's remaining memory, there is a photo of Kappa with a burning cigarette in his mouth and a camera in his hand. He looked at the reader of the photo with calm eyes. There is a line in the upper right corner: the man who invented himself-Andre Friedman, that is, robert capa.

Robert capa is not so much a war correspondent as an adventurer, or an alternative soldier with a camera instead of a gun. Before landing in Normandy, he once said, "The war correspondent's bet-his life is in his own hands. He can bet on this horse or that horse or put it back in his pocket at the last minute. I'm a gambler, so I decided to follow the first echelon of Camp E. He is a gambler who gambles with his life on the battlefield.