A few weeks ago, I went to the Yokohama Art Museum to see an exhibition of Robert Capa’s works. The title of the exhibition was 平和であることへの、控えめななにごとかを, which translates to “A Modest Gesture Toward Peace.” I think it is quite timely to revisit these kinds of works considering what is happening in the world right now.

Robert Capa was a Hungarian American war photographer and photojournalist. Even though he passed away young at the age of 40 after stepping on a landmine, he is still considered one of the greatest war photographers of all time.

I am going to skip the usual biographical details since there are already plenty of good articles out there. What I want to share instead are some of my personal thoughts on his work. To me, a great war photographer documents the moment truthfully, without beautification or staging, yet still manages to evoke deep thoughts and emotions from the audience.

I have never been particularly drawn to war photography or even history in general, partly because I was taught to always stay critical and history can often be written from a certain perspective. But seeing his works from the Spanish Civil War and World War II changed that. Those moments, such as soldiers waiting on the beaches or pilots preparing to take off, feel completely different from street photography, where you know the subjects will likely go on with their lives after the photo is taken. In Capa’s photos, you can almost sense that many of those young faces might not have survived the battle. Even without knowing their names, you can feel the weight of their fate.

Capa’s photos were always taken close to his subjects. His most famous phrase, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough,” perfectly captures his philosophy. His use of light and composition always served the story and its tension. He did not chase perfect symmetry or aesthetic balance. Instead, he let the chaos, movement, and conflict within the scene speak for themselves.

Seeing his work in person renewed my thoughts about the whole field of war photography. I have always been anti war, and I believe exhibitions like this are crucial reminders of what war really means: the loss of lives, memories, and futures, all because of power or hatred.

中文版本：

几周前，去了趟横滨美术馆，看了一个让我印象很深的摄影展，罗伯特·卡帕（Robert Capa）和其他艺术家们相关战争的摄影作品展。标题是「平和であることへの、控えめななにごとかを」，意思为 A Modest Gesture Toward Peace（为和平而作的温柔姿态）。我觉得在现在这个时间点看到这样主题的展览还是挺有趣的。

Capa是匈牙利裔的美国战地摄影师和新闻摄影记者。虽然他在40岁就不幸踩到地雷去世，但仍被认为是历史上最伟大的战争摄影师之一。

关于他的生平，网上已经有很多资料，不想赘述了。更想聊聊的是我个人对他作品的一些感受。对我来说，一位伟大的战地摄影师，是能够在没有美化和刻意安排的情况下，客观地记录真实的瞬间。但同时他的作品依然能激发观者的情感与思考。

其实我一向对战争题材或历史类作品兴趣不大，因为从小被教育要保持批判性，而历史很多时候是由胜利者书写的。然而，当我看着他在西班牙内战和二战时期拍下的那些照片，比如士兵登陆、飞行员起飞、孩子们望向战场的神情。确实在看到照片的时刻，让人深刻的感受到了当年这些沉重历史的真实感。

在街头摄影里，我们知道照片中的人还会继续他们的生活；但是在Capa的作品里，那些年轻的生命很可能在快门按下后不久就永远消失了。即使我们几乎永远都不可能他们的名字，但一定能透过这些照片能感受到那份悲伤的命运。

Capa有一句名言“如果你的照片不够好，那是因为你离得不够近”（If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough）。我认为非常准确地总结出了他的摄影哲学。Capa总是贴近被摄者，贴近危险，当然也更贴近真实。他的光影和构图几乎不会追求完美的对称或形式上的美感，而是让画面中的冲突、动作与情绪自然地讲述故事。

在美术馆里看到这些照片，也确实让我对于“战争摄影”有了一些新的思考。对我来说，反战不仅是一种立场，更是一种对于大家的提醒。提醒我们，每一场战争的背后，都是一个又一个20岁的生命、未完成的记忆、未实现的梦想。这也是Capa这些作品很打动我的地方，能让人，至少我自己，一次次去思考战争这项彻底反人类的活动的意义。