The peace sign, designed by Gerald Holtom in 1958 for the Direct Action Committee against Nuclear War (DAC), became a symbol of peace and was adopted by the anti-war and counterculture movement in the 1960s. The sign incorporates semaphore positions for the letters N and D, standing specifically for nuclear disarmament. Holtom’s design also references Francisco Goya’s 1808 painting May XNUMXth. Some have criticized the peace sign as representing the antichrist or cowardice.
Throughout history, numerous visual images have symbolized peace. These include images of doves, olive branches, broken guns, and the V sign language first used by hippies to represent both peace and love. A peace sign recognizable by many is the peace sign designed by Gerald Holtom. It is the familiar round circle with a line in the middle and two oblique lines, about half the length of the vertical line. The oblique lines join the vertical line, slightly below its direct center, and continue to the perimeter of the circle.
This particular peace sign can also be called the peace sign and can be referred to as CND. Initially, Holtom designed the sign in 1958 for the Direct Action Committee against Nuclear War (DAC). British advocates for nuclear disarmament formed the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and used Holtom’s sign as their badge. While the sign initially represented nuclear disarmament, it quickly became a symbol of peace, adopted in the 1960s by the strong anti-war and counterculture movement occurring in both England and the United States. Peace sign buttons first arrived in the United States in 1960.
If you’re familiar with semaphore, the use of flag movement and hand positions to signal letters that can be understood from a distance, the peace sign makes sense. Incorporates the semaphore positions for the letters N and D and stands specifically for nuclear disarmament. Furthermore, Holtom suggested that the interior lines were those of a person, standing with arms lowered in a desperate pose. The person drawn by Holtom was representative of his own position on the proliferation of nuclear weapons and also references Francisco Goya’s 1808 painting May XNUMXth.
In Goya’s painting, a farmer kneels before a firing squad. However, his arms are angled up instead of down. The farmer is evidently not resigned to imminent death and faces the soldiers with an impassive gaze. The position of the farmer’s body suggests defiance, not the desperation that Holtom’s “arm down” pose represents in the sign of peace.
Not everyone appreciated Holtom’s peace sign. Some have suggested that he represented the antichrist and represents an inverted cross with broken arms. People who felt that anti-war groups were suing for peace out of cowardice called the peace sign the footprint of the American chicken.
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