Photo :
Robert Capa / © ICP New York
After identifying Gerda
Taro in August 2010 among the militiamen on the left of a picture belonging to
the series The Harangue, made by Robert Capa on September 5, 1936 and locating
it in the Finca of Villa Alicia (in the same way as the rest of photographs of
that series), José Manuel Serrano Esparza made a two years research, between
September 2011 and August 2013.
Thanks to it, Esparza
could discover the unknown till then authorship and location of four pictures
made by Robert Capa on September 5, 1936, during such harangue of two anarchist
chiefs to Alcoyan and Andalusian militiamen and some Republican soldiers who
listen to their speechs, around half-past twelve of midday, in the Finca of
Villa Alicia, approximately 1 km in the southwest of Cerro Muriano (Córdoba),
adjacent to the north slope of Torreárboles hill and full of contingents of
militiamen who protect the backs of their comrades, who are defending its
summit and south slope, which is being attacked by the left Francoist column
(from a total of three making up the offensive planned by General Varela),
under the command of major Sagrado.
This picture was
This picture was
Exact location in the Callejón of the Cortijo of Villa Alicia in which Capa made this picture. The stables with arches and wooden structures to tie the horses and donkeys were turned many years after the Spanish Civil War into houses with conventional doors and windows. You can also see the ground elevation in the Way of Villa Alicia on which was parked the car that appears in the picture made 84 yeas ago and that makes that the vehicle is a bit slanted upwards. The location of this photograph in the Finca of Villa Alicia was found by José Manuel Serrano Esparza in August of 2010, and ten years later, in 2020, Miguel Zamora was able to spot the accurate point, very near a commemorative plaque of the Golden Jubilee of Rafaela Lozano and Miguel Zamora, who bought the Finca of Villa Alicia in 1921.
© José Manuel Serrano Esparza
The Finca of Villa Alicia
is in full zone of highly probable encircling manoeuver - which is known by the
Republican high officers, including captain Castañeda, who is present among the
militiamen listening to the harangue- that some hours later will be fulfilled
by Francoist major Baturone´s legionaries, who will attack Torreárboles hill
through its north slope (in coordination with major Sagrado´s forces who have
been attacking the south slope from around 10:00 h in the morning), wiping out
firstly all the Republican forces present in the area and then on Torreárboles
summit (where the Republican troops had installed Hotchkiss 7 x 57 mm caliber
machine-guns for some days, aware that the Francoist troops would attack them
very soon), in the same way as will happen with Las Malagueñas hill, which
after some hours of hard fight will be routed by the right Francoist column
under the global command of colonel Sáenz of Buruaga (that includes the Tabor
of Regulares of Melilla Number 3 under the command of major López Guerrero -
belonging to the Group of Regulares of
Melilla nº 2, based in Nador, from the Eastern Circumscription - and the
Squadrons of Regulares of Ceuta nº 3 from the Western Circumscription and
Alhucemas under the command of major Gerardo Figuerola) that after been curbed
for some hours, will manage to also encircle that hill, finally capturing it in
slow coordination (the Numantine defense by the Alcoyanos reduced very much
general Varela´s plan) with the frontal attack made by major Álvarez Rementería
through its south slope.
These are the four
pictures:
Photo :
Robert Capa
1) This picture appears
printed in a 17.9 cm wide x 23.8 cm high size, with an approximate 4:3 aspect ratio
in the book The Spanish People´s Fight for Liberty. A. Ramos Oliveira, edited
by the Spanish Embassy in London in 1937, without indicating the name of the
photographer who got it and the location where it was taken.
The printed reproduction
was made from a copy on black and white photographic paper made by Csiki Weisz
in Paris using the original Eastman Kodak Rochester Nitrate Panchromatic 24 x
36 mm negative film and sent by Maria Eisner to the Press Department of the
Spanish Embassy in London. The book was printed by Waterlow & Sons Ltd.
Capa photographs two
militiamen who are listening to the enhancing words which an anarchist chief is
addressing to a contingent of voluntary combatants from an elevated position.
They all are hearing the
exchange of rifle shots, machine gun firing and artillery blasts between the
attacking left Francoist column (under the command of major Sagrado, which is
already attacking the south slope of Torreárboles) and the Republican defenders
located on the summit of that hill, from which you can watch the city of
Córdoba from a distance of roughly 15 km.
This is a hard image. The
militiaman nearest to the camera, photographed profile and wearing a dark shirt
along with a plaided blanket on his left shoulder, is looking with great
attention at the anarchist chief speaking to them, striving after infusing them
with courage before the combat which will happen very soon.
Caption : Las Malagueñas
and Torreárboles hills, whose previous conquest was fundamental to attack Cerro
Muriano village. In those two hills along with the Finca of Villa Alicia was
the combat front in Cerro Muriano area on September 5, 1936, while the
definitive assault on Cerro Muriano village itself happened on September 6,
1936.
© José Manuel Serrano Esparza
They have just been
reported that the Francoist troops are already attacking Torreárboles hill on
his south slope and that the feared Moroccan units of Tabors of Regulares under
the command of colonel Sáenz de Buruaga have already been deployed for some
hours in the surroundings of Piedra Horadada, ready to launch an onslaught on
Las Malagueñas hill at any moment.
Both the anarchist chiefs
and Republican captain Castañeda, present during this speech in the Villa
Alicia estate, are aware that the Francoist troops will try the encircling
manoeuver through the Finca of Villa Alicia, which is the key to be able to
assault Torreárboles hill across its north slope, so the mission of the
abundant contingents of militiamen and Republican soldiers being in it is to
strive for hindering it (something that they will manage to do until first hour
of the night, when they will be definitely annihilated).
This very young
militiaman, wearing a dark shirt with an unfastened button because of the heat
and an anarchist cap with a tassel, realizes that there´s a very high
probability that he dies within the next hours, which brings about a mixture of
feelings in his head: the logical fear, the huge anxiety on thinking about the
beloved relatives, the life experiences flowing into his mind as a movie, the
dread in front of the possibility of combats with fixed bayonets - nobody wants
to fight with blade weapons against the professional Francoist troops of the
Army of Africa- , etc.
Stress becomes unbearable
and the will for survival springs up, making the militiaman instinctively cling
with his right hand - of which we can see three fingers- to the transport sling
of his rifle (part of whose barrel can be observed just behind his left
scapula).
Immediately behind this
young militiaman, we can see another one being older and more experienced,
whose face shows more hardened features.
This militiaman in the
background is even more aware than the young one in the foreground regarding
the exceedingly great danger of death approaching, and shows likewise a mien
revealing deep concern, but with more introspection and a relative calm taking
into account the circumstances. He seems to accept his destiny with a certain
acquiescence, but particularly with conviction, and tries to overcome fear,
angst and uncertainty smoking a cigarette held with his left hand.
Capa photographs the two
militiamen from a very near distance, while both of them are immersed into these
very difficult moments previous to a combat in which these civil fighters
belonging to the most various occupation scopes are going to face the
professional troops of the Spanish Army of Africa, featuring a lot of years of
experience in combat, great prowess in the handling of firearms and bayonet,
and commanded by military officers toughened in a lot of battles during the Rif
Campaigns in Morocco and later ones since the beginning of twenties.
The Hungarian
photojournalist from Jewish descent who has been present from the beginning of
the harangue (instants during which she was within a few meters from the
anarchist chief who gives the speech to the militiamen) is aware of the
proximity of death and is highly impressed on seeing voluntary civilian men ready
to die for their beliefs fighting against professional troops.
Capa has been making her
way through the militiamen, making pictures with his Leica II (Model D)
rangefinder 35 mm camera to different militiamen till reaching this point,
where he captures the two militiamen appearing in this meaningful image.
Photo : Robert Capa
2) This photograph appears
reproduced in a somewhat more square format featuring a 10.7 cm wide x 13.2 cm
high size in the book The Spanish People´s Fight for Liberty by A. Ramos
Oliveira, edited the Spanish Embassy in London in 1937, without indicating
either the name of the photographer who got it or the location where it was
taken.
The printed reproduction
was made from a reframing of a copy on black and white photographic paper made
by Csiki Weisz in Paris using the original Eastman Kodak Rochester Nitrate
Panchromatic 24 x 36 mm negative film and sent by Maria Eisner to the Press
Department of the Spanish Embassy in London. The book was printed by Waterlow
& Sons Ltd.
Capa captures a hugely
dramatic image: another very young militiaman wearing an anarchist CNT or FAI
cap, dark shirt and clear jacket, has just known the piece of news they have
been waiting for some days: the Francoist troops of the Army of Africa, coming
from Córdoba city, are going to try capturing both hills, and besides, major
Baturone´s legionnaries will try to encircle the Finca of Villa Alicia and fall
on the north slope of Torreárboles hill, adjacent to the place where are the
militiamen photographed by Capa and Taro during the harangue.
It´s very apparently
discerned that these instants have outstanding importance to Capa. Utterly
concentrated and very interested in capturing with his camera what is
happening, he has managed to approach up to practically under the speaker
(whose left foot and part of his left trousers can be seen on the image right
half, together with part of the very big cask on which the anarchist chief has
helped up to address his speech to the militiamen).
Capa also gets this
picture almost at point blank range, masterfully capturing the terrible
atmosphere of the moments prior to the death in combat: albeit he keeps on
listening to him, the very young militiaman doesn´t look at the anarchist chief
haranguing them, but is leaned with his left arm on the barrel and is
absent-minded, clearly deep in his thoughts, probably related with his most
loved ones and the main turning points throughout his lifetime.
Understandably, he experiences
the inevitable fear and restlessness alike. He knows that the combat against
professional Francoist troops will occur very soon and he will have to fight
for his life in an undoubtedly off-balance engagement, since both this
militiaman and vast majority of the rest of them have hardly had any military
drill and lack prowess in the handling of guns, because they come from the most
common jobs of the civil sphere: masons, electricians, carpenters, cesspool
cleaners, woodworkers, printers, peasants, drivers, potters, cobblers, etc.
The image is terrible,
highly representative and following the photojournalistic postulates set forth
forty years later by Cliff C. Edom, Professor of Photojournalism at Missouri
University in his 1976 book Photojournalism.
It makes up a devastating
graphic document, whose main attention focus is the militiaman countenance,
downhearted, cognizant of his very probable death, which is in the offing.
The militiaman sweats
profusely, not only because of the heat (at those moments the temperature is
around 40º C), but greatly as a consequence of the walloping stress, to such an
extent that he has unclasped three buttons of his shirt.
Unlike other images
previously made by Capa and Taro in Barcelona, Aragón front, Madrid, etc, there
isn´t here even a glimmer of the typical revolutionary euphoria and frequent
moments of joy and boisterous frolic photographed other times, for in this
picture, the militiaman face saturated with hopelessness and the atmosphere of
the moments previous to death are the key components.
In the same way as the
very young militiaman appearing in the picture, the photographer knows that the
armed civil men have no chance against troops not only being professional, but
also belonging to the Spanish Army of Africa, encompassing the most experienced
in combat and best armed elite units of the Spanish Army.
Certainly, in spite of
their brave resistance for some hours (unlike most of Republican effectives in
Cerro Muriano - who hastily escaped northbound on watching the enhancing of the
Francoist air raid on the village from 15:30 h in the afternoon, believing that
the Francoist troops were going to attack them quickly trying to capture the
urban area and the train station-, knowing that both the lack of trenches in
Cerro Muriano and the very low houses didn´t enable an efficient defense), the
contingents of militiamen and Republican soldiers located in the Finca of Villa
Alicia didn´t have any chance and were finally wiped out.
It is very important to
know that this same very young anarchist militiaman also appears standing by
ths cask in a previous picture made by Capa while he was still looking upwards
at the anarchist chief during his harnague, before emotionally collapsing, an
image (likewise located by José Manuel Serrano Esparza in the Finca of Villa Alicia,
in the same way as the rest of 11 pictures making up the series) appeared in
the British newspaper The Illustrated London News of October 24, 1936, with an
exceedingly horizontal shape reframed from an original 2:3 aspect ratio image
to meet the layout needs of that British publication.
©
José Manuel Serrano Esparza
Therefore, it´s utterly
proved, even more if possible, that Robert Capa and Gerda Taro greatly risked
their lives different times during that September 5, 1936, getting pictures at
few hundred meters from the combat front, specially in the Finca of Villa
Alicia, at those moments an even more dangerous area than the summits of Torreárboles
and Las Malagueñas hills, since because of the still scarce number of Francoist
effectives in Andalusia in August and September of 1936 and the ruthless
tactics of African colonial war carried out to completion in the provinces of
Córdoba, Badajoz, etc, it was usual not to make prisoners inside the areas of
encircling manoeuver, because the speed of movements was the key of success,
and very often, the legionaries and the Moroccan troops of Tabor of Regulares,
most times ordered to perform them, were in their turn under the threat of
being encircled.
Photo : Robert Capa
3) This image was
published without indicating either the name of the photographer who got it or
the exact location where it was made on page 3 of Number 15 Volume III of
Weekly Illustrated magazine of October 10, 1936, in a 17,6 wide x 13,9 cm high
size, from a vintage copy made from the original 35 mm Eastman Kodak panchromatic
negative (exposed by Robert Capa with a rangefinder Leica II (Model D) with
Leitz Elmar 50 mm f/3.5 lens, from an elevated position) which was sent by
Marie-Jeanne Eisner (Director of Alliance Photo Agency, which she had founded
in Paris in 1934, and a great professional who had been a pupil of Simon
Gutmann in Berlin during the golden ages of Dephot Agency) to Stefan Lorant,
editor of Weekly Illustrated, who reframed the image and because of layout
needs, edited it in an approximately 4:3 aspect ratio, in such a way that it
fitted on the lower right area of the quoted page together with other nine
photographs which hadn´t anything to do with the Spanish Civil War, though
Lorant decided to highlight Capa´s picture as much as possible, reproducing it
with a bigger size than the rest.
But the most important and
newly revealed thing in this picture is that the man who is standing on top of
a big wooden barrel (barely visible, since it appears mostly concealed by the
upper area of the bodies of two militiamen) is a different man from the one
giving another harangue to these same civil combatants in a picture made by
Capa in this same place, day and moment, already known for decades and in which
José Manuel Serrano Esparza identified in 2010 Gerda Taro in the left border of
the image.
Photo : Robert Capa
He is nothing less than
Enrique Vañó Nicomedes, secretary of the CNT of Alcoy (Alicante) and chief -
along with the lieutenant Melquíades Valiente- of the contingent of Alcoy Column
(made up by 534 military men belonging to the Infantry Regiment Vizcaya Number
12 - with a garrison in Alcoy- and 687 militiamen from CNT and FAI) which after
leaving Alcoy on August 7, 1936 and arriving at Pedro Abad (Córdoba) on August
9, 1936, went to Cerro Muriano (Córdoba), while the other contingent - under
the command of lieutenant Roberto García- marched to Espejo, with the two
contingents arriving at both villages on August 10,1936.
Enrique Vañó Nicomedes -
shot in Alcoy on August 29, 1939, being 28 years old, after a military
court-martial held without any legal base, since he hadn´t committed any blood
crime- was very active during September 5, 1936 day, moving between Villa
Alicia estate and Las Malagueñas Hill, the latter being the area in which he
took part in the combats along with Rafael Miralles from FAI and Felipe Colomé
from CNT, staying with the Republican high commanders until approximately 21:30
h in the night, when it dawned on major Juan Bernal that it was impossible to
keep on defending the hill against the fierce attacks of Moroccan tabor of
regulares troops, and he decided to abandon the position with his staff -
majors Balibrea, Armentia and Aviraneta, along with captain La Romana and
lieutenant Roig - , Juan Cimorra, Robert Capa and Gerda Taro, escaping to Cerro
Muriano to save their lives.
In the image, we can see
Enrique Vañó Nicomedes, clad in a clear militiaman overalls and lacking his
right hand, speaking to the numerous and eclectic group of Anarchist militiamen
from Alcoy CNT and FAI and Andalusian civil combatants, striving after
conveying them as much courage as possible before the impending battle.
It is approximately 12:30
h in the morning of September 5, 1936 in the Finca of Villa Alicia, which is
full of Alcoy militiamen from CNT and FAI (equipped with 7 x 57 mm caliber
Mauser rifles and mosquetones, captured during the assaults to military
Francoist barracks in mid and late July of 1936) along with a lot of Andalusian
militiamen dressed with caps and berets and mainly armed with shotguns.
The face of Enrique Vañó
Nicomedes - which has been thoroughly reported the real situation by Republican
captain Castañeda- clearly shows the big rage and effort he is making trying to
increase the morale of the civilian fighters, who in a gruesomely surrealist
context are going to face within a few hours to professional highly selected
units of the dreaded Spanish Army of Africa.
Both the patent stress and
anxiety visible in the image are huge.
Enrique Vañó Nicomedes, in
the same way as the other militiaman chief appearing in the other
aforementioned picture and in which can be seen the head of Gerda Taro in the
left border of the image, is reporting the militiamen that Francoist troops are
going to attack them soon and that they will try to wipe them out and fall on
their comrades militiamen and loyalist to the Republic soldiers defending the
crest and south slope of Torreárboles, so they must hold at any cost their
onslaughts in Finca of Villa Alicia and cover the rearguard of their
companions.
The atmosphere becomes
unbreathable for the men appearing in the image, who are listening to Enrique
Vañó Nicomedes speech.
They know innerly that
most of them are going to die, as will happen during the late evening of this
September 5, 1936, in which they will be finally routed by the Francoist troops
after a stubborn defense of many hours.
Vast majority of the
militiamen listening to Enrique Vañó Nicomedes are very worried. They fear for
their lives.
Until a few weeks before,
the men depicted in the picture have earned their lives working in the most
common occupations, suffering very hard labour conditions, both they and their
wives, working between 12 and 16 hours daily, in usual contexts of
exploitation, miserable sanitary and hygienic conditions, exceedingly low
salaries, a lot of non paid overtime under the steadfast threat of being sacked
at the least glimpse of protest, exhausting working days from dawn to dusk,
mainly within the rural scope, and frequent presence of children working both
in the countryside and the big cities and villages.
Logically, they are afraid
of dying, the movie of their lives is quickly passing inside their heads at the
moment. They think about their most beloved relatives and friends, sweat
springs up in a gush, and stress increases to the utmost, in the same way as
hatred.
On the other hand, this
first year of civil war will be the bloodiest by both sides regarding the
assassination of civils in the rearguard and there have have already been
abundant massacres all over Spain.
Robert Capa captures this
moment with his customary mastery. He is in the suitable place at the
appropriate moment, and the nearest feasible.
There are a lot of
militiamen clearly showing maximum levels of uncertainty and fidgety on their
countenances and attitude.
Pay attention to the
militiaman from CNT visible on the lower left half of the photograph, having an
absent gaze and very deep introspection, with his left arm stretched and his
left hand leaned on the barrel.
Or the militiaman
occupying the middle area of the lower half of the image (of whom we can only
see his head with the anarchist cap - partially lit by sun beams - and his
upper back ). He does know what is approaching, has closed his eyes and is
likewise probably thinking of his relations, while just on his right, another
militiaman from Alcoy wearing an anarchist cap, highly jittery, joins the
fingers of both hands and rubs his nails while he looks at Capa.
We can also see several
men who appear in some of the other aforementioned pictures, made by Capa in
this same day, place and moment.
On the lower left vertex
of the image appears an Andalusian civil combatant wearing a clear beret and
unsleeved dark waistcoat, who is looking upward in the direction of the
speaker. He has a blanket resting on his left shoulder, and a shotgun hanging
from its leather strap and whose two barrels are partially visible behind his
head.
Just above him, there´s a
militiaman belonging to CNT or FAI from Alcoy. He is wearing the typical
anarchist cap and is clad in a dark overalls. A large white handkerchief is
wrapped around his neck. He is looking upwards at the anarchist chief while he
pronounces his speech.
On the other hand, in this
picture in which Enrique Vañó Nicomedes appears delivering a harangue to the
militiamen trying that they pluck up courage before the combat, on the right
border of the image, with a lorry just behind his back, we can see a militiaman
from Alcoy with a clear blanket on his left shoulder. He is with his head down
and pensive - maybe already unaware of the boosting words that are being
pronounced by the militiaman chief from an elevated position - he is standing
on the big barrel - , fully knowing that they´re going to fight soon against
the feared professional troops of the Army of Africa.
And on the upper left area
of the border of the image, with the back of his head almost touching a tree,
another militiaman is also downhearted and lost in thought.
Simultaneously, another
young Anarchist militiaman located in the lower right vertex of the picture and
on whose Anarchist cap are embroidered the letters UHP (Union of Proletarian
Brethren) is with his arm resting on the casket, likewise very concerned and
thoughtful, and he isn´t looking upwards to Enrique Vañó Nicomedes, but in
opposite direction, while a civil Andalusian combatant behind him (wearing a
clear shirt and dark beret) has his head down and is scratching his nails
because of the fidgets.
Two very young militiamen,
who are standing behind the left leg of the anarchist militiaman delivering the
speech, are apparently affected by fear. The closest to Enrique Vañó Nicomedes
is wearing clear clothes and his anarchist cap appears just under the speaker´s
left hand. He gazes absently and anguish is reflected on his face, while the
exceedingly young militiaman - being around 15 or 16 years old - behind him is
experiencing very high levels of anxiety and inevitable panic visible on his
countenance.
The civil Andalusian
combatant with clear beret just in front of the left area of the big white handkerchief
of the anarchist militiaman on the left border of the picture, isn´t looking at
Enrique Vañó Nicomedes either. He´s thoughtful, very aware about the huge and
imminent danger of death.
Therefore, this photograph
- in the same way as many others- proves utterly once more, something that was
already known: that Capa very often risked his own life to get the best
possible pictures, such as happens in this image and the rest of photographs of
the series The Harangue, in which he is in the most dangerous zone during that
day.
Photo : Robert Capa
4) This image appears in
the book The Spanish People´s Fight For Liberty by A. Ramos Oliveira (edited in
1937 by the service of publications of the Spanish Embassy in London) in a 10.6
wide x 13.3 high size, with a roughly 4:3 vertical aspect ratio, without
indicating either the author of the photograph or the exact place in which it
was taken.
It is the first picture
made by Robert Capa to Enrique Vañó Nicomedes, Secretary of the Alcoy CNT,
during his impassioned speech striving after encouraging them before combat,
when it´s around half an hour for them to face the Francoist troops from the
Army of Africa, coming from Córdoba city, who are about to attack them.
It´s truly impressive the
degree of embodiment in Robert Capa of what the historian William Manchester
called essential instinct for the capturing of great pictures, something that
can´t be learnt, you have to be born with it and which first and foremost
consists of possessing an intuitive gift for knowing precisely when to push the
shutter release button of the camera, a side in which there have been other
prominent specialists like Marc Riboud, Werner Bischof, etc.
In this image Capa has
photographed Enrique Vañó Nicomedes well into his harangue, with his mouth open
and a fiery countenance, speaking in a very loud voice.
These are moments of huge
emotional intensity, in which Capa photographs with great mastery and
sensitivity what war is about and the cauldron of parallel feelings invading
the mind of the ones taking part in it, along with the physical reactions it
brings about: the hatred and stress at their utmost degree, the fear of death,
the pouring out sweat, the accelerating heart rate, the remembrances of a whole
life flowing into the head as a movie, the thinking about the beloved relatives
whom they won´t probably see again, their women and children that could be
defenceless, etc.
It´s a heartrending and
terrible scene, specially apparent in the militiamen located on the right of
the picture:
- The militiaman placed
under Enrique Vañó Nicomedes´s (who is standing on a large wooden barrel) is
drying the saliva flowing profusely through his lips because of the
restlessness.
- The militiaman just by
him, wearing a clear shirt and dark jacket, has his face slightly upward, but
he isn´t looking at Enrique Vañó Nicomedes, but in introspective attitude and
highly worried, with his mouth opened and leaning his right elbow and forearm
on the wooden cask, while another militiaman placed on his left appears with
his arms crossed and not looking at the anarchist chief, but thinking for
himself.
- The militiaman located
between the one clad in dark jacket and the one with his arms crossed, isn´t
looking at the anarchist leader either. He has got his gaze lost, with his eyes
slightly oriented towards Bob´s left, his mouth is open and his face gesture
reveals tons of anxiety, while the civil fighter in dark beret and white shirt
just behind him has his head low and is rubbing his nails because of the
nervousness.
- On his turn, the
militiaman clad in clear garment located between Enrique Vañó Nicomedes´s left
leg and the militiaman wearing dark jacket, is rubbing his face with his left
hand as a consequence of the huge jitteriness, concern and also to wipe his
sweat off.
- Just behind him we can
see an exceedingly young militiaman being approximately 14 years old, with his
head under the lower left area of the window of a small truck visible in the
background. This teenager´s countenance appears very convulsed and showing
great uneasiness, while the militiaman just by him with unshaved stubble of
some days, is looking at the speaker with bated breath.
- Finally, another very
young militiaman being around 16 years old, is leaning his back on the right
forward area of the little truck cabin. He´s wearing clear clothes and a jacket
hanging from his left shoulder. This boy is looking anxiously at the anarchist
chief giving the harangue, paying top attention to his words, and he will
emotionally cave in a few seconds later, moment that will be photographed by
Capa in the second picture he gets of Enrique Vañó Nicomedes during his speech
and in which can be seen that this same very young militiaman has lowered his
head and appears visibly worried.
On the other hand, the
picture features two further highly symbolic elements:
a) The nearest militiaman
to Capa, wearing clear clothes and appearing in the lower left half of the
image (with his upper right arm and his face right side towards the
photographer). He is holding a cigarette (perhaps the last one he will be able
to smoke). This militiaman with goatee and moustache, will cave in a few
seconds later and he will be captured by Capa in deep introspection, probably
thinking of his family and with his eyes closed in the second picture he gets
of Enrique Vañó Nicomedes just after this one.
b) The left arm (with its
hand leaning on the cask) appearing from the lower left side of the picture. It
belongs to a CNT anarchist militiaman clad in dark garment who can be seen
complete from the waist up in the second photograph that Capa takes of Enrique
Vañó Nicomedes during this harangue.
The scene is certainly
harrowing and depicts a highly representative moment.
© José Manuel Serrano Esparza
This is war
photojournalism in its purest essence.
Capa realizes the truly
uncommon context: militiamen who are first and foremost civilian combatants
coming from the most different occupations (masons, peasants, plumbers,
electricians, print workers, carpenters, textile industry workers, cobblers,
etc), with barely any military instruction or prowess in the handling of guns,
who are going to fight against the professional Francoist troops of the Army of
Africa, featuring long combat experience in colonial war in Morocco, and who
are manifestly more skillful in the use of firearms, as well as sporting a far
superior combat morale and adaptation ability for the circumstances of battles.
In addition, the two
exceedingly young militiamen appearing by the little truck (the one on the
right being around 14 years old and the one on the right being around 16 years
old) have come here by their own choice, haven´t had childhood and very
probably have been working from sunrise to sunset since they were 8 or 9 years
old, in the same way as the rest of men appearing in the image, in exchange for
miserable salaries, with deplorable working conditions marked by the
overcrowding, the lack of hygiene, the high risk of accidents because of the
intentional non existence of investment by their eager bosses on the adequate
security measures to increase the margins of profits, the lack of any medical
insurances, very high illiteracy rates and the steady threat of being dismissed
at the minimal protest.
© José Manuel Serrano
Esparza
Leica II (Model D)
rangefinder camera number 90023 with Leitz Elmar 50 mm f/3.5 number 133594 made
in early 1932.This was the camera and lens with which Capa got the pictures
belonging to The Harangue series made in the Finca of Villa Alicia
(approximately 1 km in the southwest of Cerro Muriano village) at midday of
September 5, 1936. It had been given to Capa by Simon Guttman, Director of
Dephot photographic agency in Berlin in July 1932.
© José Manuel Serrano
Esparza
Oskar Barnack, an optical
engineer, precision mechanic and industrial designer of Ernst Leitz Wetzlar. A
consummate genius, he was the technical driving force and inventor of the
concept of Leica rangefinder camera featuring very reduced dimensions and
weight with the possibility of attaching a wide assortment of interchangeable
tiny and highly luminous lenses starting with the Leica II (Model D) in 1932.
His great talent and very deep knowledge on miniaturization of optomechanical
components, running gear theory, levers, springs, properties of noble metals and
creation of mechanical systems optimized for 35 mm RF cameras, enabled him to
beget and manufacture the mythical horizontally travelling focal plane shutter
with rubberized silk curtains (whose original patent dates back to May 1925)
sported by the Leica II Model D and generating an exceedingly low noise on
shooting, barely perceptible, that hasn´t been improved hitherto.
The extraordinary
reportage " The Harangue " made by Capa in the Finca of Villa Alicia,
one of the best and most important in his professional career, is fruit of the
perfect synergy between a great photojournalist (featuring a professional
experience of four years on September 5, 1936 - his first assignment had been
to photograph Leon Trotski in Copenhagen in 1932-, who is at the right place at
the right moment and approaches as much as possible to get the pictures) and
the unmatched levels of discretion on capturing this kind of images from an
amazing proximity allowed by the Leica II (Model D) thanks to its shutter
release button producing very scarce and almost inaudible decibelic intensity
when being pressed and making the photographer get unnoticed, the lack of a
swivelling mirror enabling an outstanding stability shooting handheld without
any trepidation up to 1/20 s which is the slowest feasible shutter speed
possible attainable with this camera and its rangefinder magnification of 1x
(possible thanks to the separate windows of VF and RF) allowing a very quick
and accurate focusing, superior in this regard to the modern analog and digital
Leica M cameras boasting a 0.72x RF magnification, and which Oskar Barnack had
improved even more in 1933 with the Leica III, increasing the RF magnification
to 1.5x and adding an independent slow shutter speeds dial.
© José Manuel Serrano
Esparza
The Leica II (Model D) was
the first CSC (Compact System Camera) ever with a complete assortment of
interchangeable lenses and accessories in the world. This mirrorless camera, the
smallest and lightest one for 24 x 36 mm format made heretofore, with its
dimensions of 13.3 x 6.7 x 3.3 cm, a weight of only 406 g and shutter speeds
between 1/500 s and 1/20 s, was a masterpiece created by Oskar Barnack and the
first Leica camera to feature a built-in rangefinder coupled to the focusing
system.
Capa (who is using a Leica
II Model D with Leitz Elmar 5 cm f/3.5 lens) and Gerda Taro (also present in
Villa Alicia estate) perceive the great photojournalistic, historical and
social relevance of what is happening, and inevitably make themselves the
question:
What can lead people
belonging to civil society to take up arms and risk their lives fighting
against professional troops, with a very high probability of being killed in
combat?
Legionaries from the Army
of Africa just arrived at Andalusia in late July 1936. From a military
viewpoint they were clash elite infantry featuring a huge experience in
ruthless colonial war in Africa, being very tough in fight, exceedingly
skillful in the handling of guns and had a very high combat morale. Therefore,
the militiamen appearing in the pictures of The Harangue made by Capa had to
face highly professional troops, with no chance whatsoever, and they withstood
them all they could.
What makes them pluck up
the remarkable courage they need to face a far superior enemy from a military
viewpoint and whose high commanding officers have a combat experience in
Morocco dating back to early twenties?
These four images
epitomize very clearly not only the excellent accuracy in the timing on
pressing the shutter release button of the camera, but also photojournalistic
compromise to spare, to be in the adequate place and in the adequate moment and
a remarkable ability to perceive the most defining instants and get great
pictures like this one, along with many other things, who made Cornell Capa
renounce to his career as a professional photographer to devote his life to the
preservation of the immense and historical photographic legacy of his brother.
© José
Manuel Serrano Esparza
For other articles on this blog please click on Blog Archive in the column to the right
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