The composition's background represents the threat of war, hatred, and darkness, whereas the sun in the top right of the painting represents the dove of peace, free and triumphant, breaking through to clear days ahead.  
 
The pictorial composition of the painting has deeper symbolism. The earth tones in the background suggest man’s living environment, motion, evolution, and life itself. The gradation from light to dark shows the idea of life proceeding and evolving. This is interrupted by the black vertical strip in the foreground of the painting. It represents the threat of war that has the potential to put humanity in danger. Then there is a figurative element added to represent the dove of peace. It moves towards the sun, which symbolizes peaceful co-existence and security in the future.

The Maltese artist, Emmanuel Cremona (1919 – 1987) painted the gift as a tribute to the work being done by the United Nations. 

Prime Minister of Malta, Giorgio Borg-Olivier presented the gift to the UN on 01 December 1966. He said, “Remember as we in Malta do the horrors of war, we thought it was appropriate that this painting should in some way evoke those horrors and bring out the aspirations of man for peaceful evolution and progress”.