One of the world’s most emblematic symbols of peace and hope risks fading into obscurity if we do not use it.
Its iconographic significance dates back to antiquity, where it served, among other things, as an attribute of the goddess Venus and as a symbol of harmony and love.
In Christian art, it represents the Holy Spirit and the new beginning after the flood, as described in the Old Testament, often depicted with an olive branch in its beak.
From an art historical perspective, the white dove was elevated to a political symbol at the latest by Pablo Picasso. His lithograph for the 1949 World Peace Congress in Paris transformed the motif into a universal icon of the peace movement.
In contemporary art, the dove of peace continues to appear as a motif, for example, in street art interpretations by Banksy, who stages it as a symbol of vulnerable, threatened peace.
The artistic reception of the dove of peace exemplifies art’s ability to translate societal desires and political messages into powerful visual symbols.
KB
Sources
Dove of Peace: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedenstaube
The Dove of Peace – On the Symbolism of Peace: https://vollherzig.de/die-friedenstaube-zur-symbolik-des-friedens
Pablo Picasso and the Doves: https://www.kunsthaus-artes.de/magazin/pablo-picasso-und-die-tauben/
Little Dove of Peace – FREE PDF | Crafts & Learning: https://shop.labbe.de/kleine-friedenstaube-gratis-pdf
Little Dove of Peace – FREE PDF | Crafts & Learning: https://www.labbe.de/kleine-friedenstaube-gratis-pdf-de
Drawing the Dove of Peace: https://www.kreative-kunsttechniken.de/motive/friedenstaube-zeichnen/
Woman with Dove of Peace: https://www.artvergnuegen.com/article/show/1143
Pablo Picasso. Invention of the Dove of Peace (1949): https://artinwords.de/picasso-frieden-freiheit-und-die-erfindung-der-friedenstaube/