Presentation is Everything
War is associated with glory, passion, and most importantly, conquest. War is taught in a story format in school, often times making it seem as though it were fictional. The exhibit at the International Center of Photography aligned the photos of Gerda Taro and Robert Capa in this same type of story format, however unlike classroom education, the photographs show the true side of war.
The exhibit (titled, “This Is War!”) consists of two floors, the first of which belongs to the work of Gerda Taro. The images are arranged (in the most simple terms) from happy to sad. The first series of photographs show how cheerful everyone is before the war as there is a tremendous amount of hope and pride among the people. As you move through the exhibit, the pictures begin to take a darker tone and change focus. In the early, pre-war pictures, the entire image is in focus while in the darker, gorier pictures, much of the image is in soft focus.
The darker images show the truth behind war. One photo shows the backs of a row of soldiers. The photo has no shadows and creates the illusion of all of the soldiers looking identical to each other. This image suggests the non-existence of identity during war, in that personalities do not matter on the battlefield. Another photograph focuses on a solider stepping through a hole in the wall. The picture makes you wonder why the soldier would risk stepping through the hole as a sniper could have been patrolling the area. Other photos include a burning truck in which the focus is blurred to exemplify the tremendous amount of smoke.
The work of Robert Capa continues the dark theme. Capa’s photographs are full of gore. One of Capa’s photos is of a soldier, on the ground, dead. The soldier’s face is black, and it also creates an illusion that his head was severed from his body. The focus of the picture, the soldier, is dark and as you get further and further away from him, the image becomes much lighter.
Possibly his most famous photograph, “The Falling Soldier,” shows a soldier collapsing due to a gunshot wound to the head. The picture actually captures blood spurting out of the soldier’s head. There are questions as to whether or not the image was staged, but assuming it wasn’t, there is absolutely no photograph that yells, “This Is War,” as loud as the falling soldier.
Every image of the exhibit adheres to the theme, of “This is War.” To sum up the story of the different aspects of war, a holograph shows the effects of war as a city is transformed into a battleground.
The alignment of the images of both Taro and Capa, and the inclusion of other photographer’s work create a truly astounding exhibit that appeals to all audiences.