Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “River Of Blood”
Summary
A blood-red and black battlefield in which Cleon Peterson's signature flat silhouetted figures club, drag, and crush one another — a club-wielding horseman charges through a sea of fallen, bound, and beaten bodies. It is a definitive statement of Peterson's central subject: the brutality of power and the mob violence that lies just beneath civilization.
Why It Matters
River Of Blood distills everything Peterson is known for into one composition: the reduced black-white-red palette, the friezelike arrangement of bodies borrowed from Greek vase painting, and the unflinching depiction of organized cruelty. The mounted aggressor towering over chained and prostrate victims reads as a timeless allegory of state and military violence — antiquity collapsed into the present. Within his print catalog it is one of the more ambitious multi-figure scenes, a full panorama of conflict rather than a single confrontation, which is why it resonates with collectors as a representative "key" image.
Collector Perspective
A 2016 screen print in a small edition of 27, this sits at the scarce end of Peterson's output — most of his editions run larger, so 27 makes this comparatively hard to find on the secondary market. Peterson prints are typically hand-signed and numbered in pencil; verify the signature and number in the lower margin. The horizontal panoramic format and dense multi-figure composition make it a more desirable and wall-dominant piece than his single-figure prints, which supports value. As an established Shepard Fairey collaborator with consistent gallery and auction presence, his market is liquid for in-demand images, though a tight edition like this trades less frequently.
Historical Context
Made in 2016, the height of Peterson's rise following his End of Empire body of work, River Of Blood belongs to the period when his vase-painting-derived language of mass violence was crystallizing into his recognized signature. The black-and-red palette and classical frieze structure tie it directly to his ongoing meditation on empire, abuse of power, and cyclical human brutality — themes that gained added charge in the politically turbulent climate of that year.
FAQ
What does River Of Blood depict?
A chaotic battle scene rendered in flat black silhouettes against a red and black ground: a club-wielding rider on horseback charges through a field of figures who beat, drag, and crush one another, with bound and fallen bodies strewn across the lower register. It is an allegory of organized violence and the abuse of power.
What is the edition size?
The edition is 27, making it scarce relative to most of Cleon Peterson's prints.
Is it signed and numbered?
Peterson's screen prints are typically hand-signed and numbered in pencil in the lower margin. Confirm the pencil signature and edition number on the specific copy.
What is the medium?
It is a screen print, produced in 2016, using Peterson's characteristic limited black, white, and red palette.
Who is Cleon Peterson?
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) is an American artist known for stark, high-contrast scenes of violence, power, and social conflict drawn from Greek vase painting, Hogarth, and street art. He is a frequent collaborator with Shepard Fairey.
Related Works
About the Artist
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) is an American artist known for stark, high-contrast scenes of violence, power and social conflict, rendered in a flat, limited palette of black, white, red and gold. His chaotic compositions of fighting, clubbing and writhing figures expose the abuse of power and the brutality beneath civilization’s surface, drawing on classical Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art. A frequent collaborator with Shepard Fairey, he shows internationally; his prints, sculptures and editions are widely collected in the urban-contemporary market.
Collecting Cleon Peterson at Gauntlet Gallery
Where can I buy authentic Cleon Peterson prints?
Gauntlet Gallery offers an extensive, authenticated inventory of Cleon Peterson prints and contemporary editions, with new drops added regularly. Browse the current collection at gauntlet.gallery.
How does Gauntlet Gallery ensure authenticity?
Gauntlet Gallery is built on curation, authenticity and transparency — every work is vetted and its provenance, edition details and condition are disclosed up front.
Does Gauntlet Gallery add new Cleon Peterson prints?
Yes. New drops are released regularly across Cleon Peterson and other leading artists; see gauntlet.gallery for the latest inventory.