Gerald herbert holtom biography definition

Gerald Herbert Holtom 20 January — 18 September [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] was an English artist and designer. He had been a conscientious objector during World War II. There are differing accounts of how the design was conceived. Holtom, was a white circle within a black square, followed by various versions of the Christian cross within the circle".

But the cross, for these people, had too many wrong associations — with the Crusaders , with military medals, with the public blessing by an American chaplain of the airplane that flew to Hiroshima — and eventually the arms of the cross were depicted as declining, forming the composite semaphore signal for the letters N and D the letters "N" two arms outstretched pointing down at 45 degrees and "D" one arm upraised above the head of the flag semaphore alphabet representing the words nuclear disarmament , and at the same time suggesting a gesture of human despair against the background of a globe.

Eric Austen , who adapted the symbol for ceramic lapel badges, is said to have "discovered that the 'gesture of despair' motif had long been associated with 'the death of man', and the circle with 'the unborn child'".

Gerald Herbert Holtom was an English

Trademark registration of the logo was never carried out, and since the s the logo has become known to, and used by, the public as a general-purpose peace symbol. In addition to this primary genesis, Holtom additionally cited as inspiration Goya's Peasant Before the Firing Squad : [ 9 ]. I was in despair. Deep despair. I drew myself: the representative of an individual in despair, with hands palm outstretched outwards and downwards in the manner of Goya's peasant before the firing squad.

I formalised the drawing into a line and put a circle round it. The reference is to Goya 's The Third of May , although the peasant shown in this painting has his arms stretched upwards, not downwards. Holtom had six children, including four with his first wife: Peter, Julia, Anna now Anna Scott, an artist [ 14 ] and Benjamin; and two with his second wife: Darius and Rebecca also an artist.

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