Robert Capa: spectator and adjuvant in the conflicts of his time

Abstract

This article is intended to revisit the biography of photojournalist Robert Capa (1913-1954), in order to record his status as a spectator - in view of the technical innovations in photography and concept modifications - and investigate his stance as adjuvant in warfare. Paradoxically, Capa was distinguished as the most important war photographer in the first half of the twentieth century, but at the same time, he used his camera as a tool to consolidate his thought as an engaged photographer and as a weapon against belligerency. In an interview, he made clear his dislike for the war: “I hate violence and the thing that I hate most is war.”