In the opening lines of my master's thesis, I will present Plato's theory of the icon. According to this theory, it is necessary to separate the thing itself from its images, that is, to separate the original from the image, the model from the simulacrum. An icon is an image, a well-founded pretender, for which it guarantees similarity. This similarity is not external, so it is not a similarity between one thing and another, but an internal, spiritual similarity between the thing and the Idea. Icon, therefore, is a reflection of a moment. It is never an original, but it is an image of a real event. In the center of the thesis I will present some of the most famous iconic war photographs. Through the evidence, I will show that some of these do not conform to Plato's theory as they are not images of a true event. These photos were staged for the camera or reconstructed. Nevertheless, these photos have become icons of war photography because they remind us of the horrors of war, while raising our morale with stories of heroism and patriotism.
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