War is not Guns and Fighting; War is Morbid Destruction and Dying
The subject of war has always been a sensitive one. There are many young people who have bought into the idea that war is a romantic thing: you go away to be soldier, a fighter, and return home as the victorious hero. War, in fact, is far from romantic. As exemplified through images that photographers Robert Capa and Gerda Taro have captured, war is an atrocity.
Gerda Taro, the lesser known of the two, was a woman in a man’s world of war photography. She always got right into the action and ultimately lost her life when she was struck and killed by a tank. Even though her career in war photography was brief, her photographs left a lasting impact on those in the field.
Taro’s work focuses heavily on the people involved in war. She chose subjects that most would not immediately associate with war. In her photos are women and children, to show the effect that the conflicts have on non-soldiers. In Republican Militia woman training on the beach outside Barcelona, the contrast in the photo makes the woman on the beach stand out. She is dark, dressed in black, with a shiny, detailed gun in hand. The foreground of the image is clear and a viewer can interpret the dark garb to represent the dark, cynical nature of war. Death seems to loom around in the image. Taro shows off another interesting view when she depicts Three men in the window of the Hotel Colon. These men are behind glass and their smiles can be seen though a bullet hole. There is irony in seeing a sign of light hearted feelings through a bullet hole, which is created in more dire circumstances. Taro also represents children in these war torn places as stripped of their innocence. In the photo depicting Man with child in militia dress, the man is in sharp focus, but it is obvious that the child is wearing militia clothing. It is sad that at such a young age, nationalism is being laid upon a child. Some of the other images are vividly graphic. They almost speak to you and touch upon all of your senses. Even glancing quickly at the Air raid victim photos made me feel sick to my stomach. They are all too real and you can sense the death and suffering by just looking at the photo at face value. There is no further interpretation needed. Taro conveys a strong message about the horrendous nature of war in these photographs. One of her images is just unforgettable: a man is lying dead, partially covered by a white sheet that is spotted with dark blood stains. The contrast between the whiteness of the sheet and the blood stain is nauseating.
As the more well known of the two, Robert Capa has had a prolific career as a war photographer. The images that he has captured can be deeply moving. In the image of the Woman with bundle fleeing nationalist bombings, you can see her face is agonized; her forehead is creased, her eyebrows are furrowed, and she is holding on to her bundle with desperation. This picture seems to have been caught in the moment, but some of Capa’s other work seems posed or staged. In Loyalist militiamen brandishing rifles the men are clearly looking directly at the camera and smiling as if they know the picture is being taken. The most moving of images depicted an innocent, young child lying dead on the ground. Child killed while trying to save his chicken and piglet during Battle of Tai’er Zhuang is a photograph that is hard to forget. It is the saddest and most eye opening of images. The picture is mostly gray but it is obvious that a child lay dead next to his slaughtered farm animals. Apparently, not even children were spared in times of war. It is a heart wrenching image that can bring tears to one’s eyes.