Kellie Stokes

March 14th, 2016

Phillips 

English 101

Deeper Meaning of Banksy's "Armored Dove" 

When thinking of graffiti, many people think of it only as defacement and ignore the deeper meaning. Graffiti is a powerful form of art without any constraints, which conveys a message to a mass of people since it is generally placed in active public areas. A good example of this is shown in the work of Banksy, a graffiti artist who uses his work to show his unpleasantly true interpretation of modern life and society. When looking at his work, there is much more than meets the eyes. His works have very deep implications; an example of this is the collection of art he has placed near Israel and Palestine, specifically his armored dove painting. Although it is just a simple art piece, it is full of symbols and irony that combine together with Banksy's strategic choice of location to convey his message to draw attention to the instability of peace in the area and warn people that a resolution is desperately needed. 

Simple and universal symbols are key to Banksy's work. By using such symbols, it allows for easy understanding by all people and effectively spreads his message. When first looking at this particular work, you see a Dove holding an olive branch in his beak while wearing a bulletproof vest with a crosshair aimed at his chest. Being well known for representing peace, the dove with the olive branch is a reference to the Biblical story of Noah's Arc, where a dove holding an olive branch was sent to inform Noah of the calm of the storm and the arrival of peace. Unlike the story, this dove is wearing a bulletproof vest and hints that the dove, or peace, is in danger and needs protection and safety. The crosshair that lies on the dove's chest informs of how threatened peace really is and symbolizes danger and violence. Being placed over the heart, it is obvious that the crosshair, or violence, wishes to not only injure the dove, but also ultimately kill it. In other words, peace is shown to be in danger. The elements and style of this work help to convey more of a deeper message. White, the color of the dove, represents innocence and purity and the green of the olive branch represents life. Banksy uses red for the crosshair, which not only makes it stand out in the dreary background, but also represent warning and death. Typically the dove of peace looks more calm and pure, but this one is drawn in a gritty style to make the message more serious and less playful. Peace, or the dove, is worn out and needs some rest in order to return to its more peaceful and kind appearance. But with conflict continuing, peace is still trying its hardest to push through the violence even though its slowly tearing it apart. With his wings wide open, the bulletproof vest and the look of determination in his eye, it is evident that peace is not hiding and has come prepared to take over. By using such well know symbols, Banksy is able to convey a message that is simple enough to be understood by most and uses symbols that are dissimilar. 

After analyzing the symbols and understanding their true meaning, it becomes very evident that this work was built to display a lot of irony and contrasts. The most prevalent arises once understanding that the dove is peace and the vest is safety and protection. It is ironic that peace would require protection from war because if peace is present then all war should be alleviated. Knowing that peace requires protection leaves the feeling of uneasiness and a sense of danger. This use of a vest and the crosshair displays the concept of modern war but contrast with the eternal characteristics of dove, which has been around long before the elements of modern war. Being pure and innocent, the white dove is automatically in danger while in a place of war cause both cannot exist together because war destroys all the characteristics of the dove, especially harmony. Life, represented by the green in the olive branch, stands out and contrast with the work's dull and lifeless background. The symbols Banksy put in this work are very opposite of each other and leave the viewer with a sense of irony, all elements that help display his message. 

Location plays a big part in giving the symbols of this work a stronger meaning. Not random at all, but very strategic and vital to the message Banksy wants to deliver. Without the location then this artwork would not be nearly as powerful and demonstrating the urgency. Banksy selected to place his work on a dull gray wall in Bethlehem, Israel; a place well known for it unrest and conflicts with Palestine. Along with this, the site is the same spot, which 40 Palestinians were shot during the First Intifada, a Palestine uprising against Israel's rule. Many people were killed even people who practiced peace. Since then, the uprisings have reoccurred but nothing has been achieved by the violence. Banksy wants to convey to the people the urgency for a needed long lasting and unthreatened peace before the peace is gone fore good and only war remains. The background is gloomy and colorless with very little color, so the bright dove stands out on the cement wall. Bullet holes cover the top of the wall, but instead of covering them up, Banksy choose to place the dove below and bringing attention to the damage war has done. He does not want to use his art to improve the signs of violence, which would also make the destruction seem okay, but instead he uses his art to bring attention to the problems and highlight the destruction. This location is a war zone and Banksy does not want to hide that. Violence is still present and continuing and Banksy wants to show the true pity of that and the intense danger that peace is facing. Israel and Palestine's old ways of finding a compromise and achieving peace through violence is destructive and has not brought any success, yet they continue to place war on one another and continue the destruction. 

By combining all the elements of the symbols, irony and the location, Banksy's message is formed and exhibited to the public. Peace is very insecure and a more constant system is needed. Banksy wants to inform the public of the issue and remind them of the power they have to change it, but at the same time he is warns about the urgency of the situation. Right now peace is being fought with war with hopes of winning peace from war, but you cannot fight for peace cause war destroys peace. Peace is fighting for it presences but by doing so, its destroying itself. Banksy wants people to see the hypocrisy of the two countries who are trying to bring peace through war. Not only is this impossible but doing so will only bring death and violence. A dove wearing a vest when bringing the olive branch conveys the idea that he is aware of his danger and does not trust the opposing side and expects betrayal. This mirrors Israel and Palestine who both want peace but neither side have faith the other. Since they both are expecting disloyalty, a settlement cannot be formed. Therefore, there is no satisfaction for either side and war begins again and again. If this cycle continues then peace, which is already exhausted, will soon be gone altogether. Once, peace has disappeared there will be nothing left to fight the violence.

Graffiti can be a very powerful form of art and has the ability to reach the common public. Looking deeper into the whole picture, recognizing the symbols displayed and connecting it to the intended audience, it becomes very apparent that its not only art but a message. Banksy's "Armored Dove" is a great example of this. At first glance it appears to be just a dove wearing a bulletproof vest, but after further breakdown, Banksy's message begins to surface and the importance of his message stands out. Not only is this dove a symbol of peace but also it shows the dangerous situation that peace is facing through being under constant attack, through this Banksy wants his audience to know that the need for peace is urgent. 

Works Cited

"Israel Palestine Peace Dove." Street Art Utopia. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2016. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.streetartutopia.com%2F%3Fattachment_id%3D992>.
