The French illustrator behind the "Peace for Paris" symbol,
The French artist behind ‘Peace for Paris’ says it was a raw reaction to the tragedy
Jean Jullien, the French illustrator behind the “Peace for Paris” symbol, was on holiday when he learned about the tragedies in Paris.
He quickly took his brush and ink and drew the sign on the first piece of paper he could find. He said the reaction was instantaneous. The world has taken to the Eiffel Tower depicting the peace sign in a powerful way.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Thousands have shared your illustration. What is the message you hope people get from it?
Peace, unity, solidarity. This was for Paris, but so many people around the world can relate. We hear atrocities daily; we’re all fed up. I think the need for peace and hope is pretty instinctive and universal. I just tried to sum it up in an image. What were you thinking when you heard about the tragedy and drew the image?
I was shocked, horrified, worried. All kinds of dark feelings.
I felt compelled to reach out to show support to Paris, the Parisians, and to do so with a sign of peace, which appeared to me as the most desired reaction in the face of senseless violence. You’re from France. How did you relate to the incidents as a citizen?
It could have been my friends or my family. They were just people enjoying life, drinking, chatting, listening to a concert. I relate as a French person, as a citizen, but mainly as a human being. As an artist, how can you change your illustration mood and tone in situations like the Paris attacks?
Well, it’s not something I had time to think about. It was a raw, spontaneous reaction, not calculated. The sign that went “viral” was the first thing I drew. I didn’t draw it as an illustrator trying to create a popular image, but my natural way of expressing myself is visual. I just wanted to communicate my feelings and support as a person. Memorializing tragedies through artwork has been symbolic for centuries but social media has made them more prominent. How do you feel about being behind this international symbol?
I think we’ve been getting familiarized with the hyper-communication characterized by social media. We’ve seen it as an addiction, a vanity and many other critical characteristics.
But I think it’s also become a very instinctive way of communicating. In that sense, and in times of urgency and tragedy, it’s proved itself to be a fantastic tool of sharing and togetherness. I struggle to feel any pride or happiness about “being the person behind this international symbol” because I’m hurting like everybody else. It’s a very dark moment, it’s tragic, upsetting.
I can’t feel happy because I wish I hadn’t had to draw it in the first place. If anything, I’m just glad that it seemed to have been useful to people.
It’s not a drawing for me to benefit from, it’s a drawing for everybody to share their solidarity.