Heart of Spain: Robert Capa's Photographs of the Spanish Civil War [Paperback]

Robert Capa (Author), Esperanza Aguirre Gil de Biedma (Author), Jose Guirao Cabrera (Author), Cornell Capa (Author), Juan Fusi P. Aizpurua (Author), Richard Whelan (Author), Catherine Coleman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2005

Considered by many to be the greatest war photographer, Robert Capa first gained recognition for images he made during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). This volume is the first to be devoted entirely to these photographs.

In 1936, the rebellion of monarchists and fascists led by General Franco, in alliance with Hitler and Mussolini, mobilized anti-fascists all over the world, among them Robert Capa. During the entire period of the civil war, Capa traveled throughout the Loyalist-held areas of Spain, photographing battles, cities under siege, and the chaos of a modern nation at war with itself.

One series of images documents the heroic Loyalist defense of Madrid; another the mass exodus of Catalonians from Barcelona to the French border. His iconic photograph of a Loyalist militiaman who has just been shot shocked the world with its brutal immediacy. Capa's pictures not only illuminated the strength and courage of the soldiers who carried on against overwhelming odds but also galvanized compassion for the innocent and injured. John Steinbeck praised Capa for his ability to "show the horror of a whole people in the face of a child."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"No other photojournalist has extracted more visceral images from war and its consequences, images that even after 60 years still pack a punch."--Philadelphia Inquirer

From the Inside Flap

Heart of Spain
Robert Capa's Photographs of the Spanish Civil War
From the Collection of the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía

Introductory statements by Esperanza Aguirre Gil de Biedma, Spain's Minister of Education and Culture; José Guirao Cabrera, Director of the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía; and Cornell Capa

Essays by Juan P. Fusi Aizpúrua, Richard Whelan, and Catherine Coleman

Heart of Spain is the first volume to be devoted entirely to the finest of Robert Capa's photographs from the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) and features many never-before-published images, including selections from Capa's long-lost contact sheets.

When the British Picture Post first presented selections of this work in 1938, they deemed his images "simply the finest pictures of front-line action ever taken," adding that "Robert Capa ... likes working in Spain better than anywhere in the world. He is a passionate democrat and loves to take photographs."

Many knew Capa for the powerful photograph of the death of a Spanish militiaman, which shocked the world with its intimacy and drama. Capa personalized the struggle of the Spanish loyalists, illuminated the strength and courage of the soldiers who carried on against insufferable odds, and galvanized compassion for the innocent and injured. John Steinbeck praised him for his ability to "show the horror of a whole people in the face of a child."

In the midst of the turmoil and tragedy of war, Capa fell in love with Spain. His experiences there would prove vitally important-- not only to his career, but to his personal life as well. As his brother Cornell recalls in his essay, "Bob went to Spain with a German refugee named Gerda Taro. They were young, in love with each other, and idealistic. Their weapons were their cameras, which they used to win international support for the Republican cause. Tragically, Gerda was killed at Brunete in July 1937, and Bob never fully recovered from his grief. Although at first he could not bear to return to the war that had killed the woman he loved, his great love for the Spanish people soon drew him back to document their struggle to the end."
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In addition to over one hundred duotone images by Capa, Heart of Spain also features rare photographs by Gerda Taro, and three compelling essays that place Robert Capa's photographs within their cultural and historical milieu. Juan P. Fusi Aizpúrua draws our attention to the intellectual climate of an era when artists and writers still dared to consider their labor revolutionary. Using Capa's photographs as a starting point, Catherine Coleman, curator of photographs at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, examines the radical social changes that took place in women's lives during the war. Richard Whelan, Capa's biographer, elaborates on the photographer's travels in Spain and on the creation of a body of work that would prove seminal in the development of Capa's photographic career.

Heart of Spain accompanied the exhibition Capa: Cara a Cara (Capa: Face to Face) organized by the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain: February 2-April 5, 1999.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Aperture (June 15, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931788022
• ISBN-13: 978-1931788021
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,361,396 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Book for any serious collector, August 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Heart Of Spain: Robert Capa's Photographs of the Spanish Civil War (Hardcover)

This is one of the best and most moving combat photo volumnes I have seen. Capa is a genius artist with the camera, compassionate toward humanity and as courageous as any soldier on the field of battle. All these three qualities jump at you with the turn of every page. There is no saftey of the Zoom lens here. The comments from the reviewer of the DC are absurd. This book is about humanity at war. Whether or not the subject matter happens to be from one army or another is least of the concerns. I have seen many fine photos of the German Army in combat and have never viewed them as propaganda nor do I feel any sympathy for their objectives. It is about the essence of capturing a man in his most important minute of his life.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievably Potent Photographs of Spain's Civil War, June 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Heart Of Spain: Robert Capa's Photographs of the Spanish Civil War (Hardcover)

Capa is considered one of the fathers of modern combat photography. These photographs clearly verify that fact. The modern combat photographers that have come after were all aware of Capa's work and if they didn't overtly copy his style, they certainly used it as a foundation. The potency of these photographs is not so much the action they sometimes capture, but in the faces set in the multitude of back drops of war. The viciousness and tragedy of this conflict hotly radiate out of some of these photographs. Others coolly reflect despair and fear. The book is at the same time a statement about war and a valuable historical document.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary book, deeply moving., June 30, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heart Of Spain: Robert Capa's Photographs of the Spanish Civil War (Hardcover)

Magnificent pictures and excellent related texts. Lyrical, yet terribly realistic, view of the Spanish Civil war. Unforgivable portraits of men, women, children who achieve here a kind of eternal life and purpose (you really wonder what happened to each of them and regret you didn't know them personally, and will never do so). Dignity, beauty and love throughout the book. Wish only the accompanying texts, particularly the poems, would also have been provided in their original language, beside their English translations. More powerful, as a Historical document, than any TV footage ever will be. Must read and revisit!