ABSTRACT
From 1936 to 1954, Robert capa photographed five wars and set the standard by which photojournalists are judged. Of all the conflicts he covered, it was his first, the Spanish Civil War that established his defining characteristics: passionate commitment, readiness to take sides, a willingness to share the hardships of the people he photographed and an ability to reconcile great ideals with sympathy and respect for individuals. The Spanish Civil War was as much anti-fascist as it was Spanish, and that made it his war. He had a tremendous personal stake in its outcome, and he was willing to die for the cause if necessary. Capa went on to photograph the European theater of World War II, the first Arab-Israeli War and the war between French colonialists and the Vietminh in Indochina. More than half a century after he ventured onto the battlefields of Spain, Capa still sets a standard of bravery and compassion for all war photographers.
