Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “The Crawler (Gold)”
Summary
A stark black, white and gold screen print in which a towering black-silhouetted aggressor raises a club to bludgeon two prone gold figures who cower and crawl beneath him, one severed head already lying at his feet. The Crawler (Gold) is a quintessential Cleon Peterson tableau of one-sided brutality, distilling his recurring theme of the powerful preying on the defenseless into a single flat, high-contrast confrontation.
Why It Matters
The print compresses Peterson's central thesis into one brutal image: civilization as a thin veneer over raw domination. The looming black figure, weapon overhead, and the gold victims crawling away beneath him stage the abuse of power with no ambiguity and no rescue. The flat, ground-line composition and severed head echo classical Greek vase painting and the moralizing violence of Hogarth, sources Peterson openly draws on, while the limited black/white/gold palette gives the scene the cold legibility of a warning sign or protest graphic. It is exactly the kind of unflinching, immediately readable image that made Peterson a recognized voice in contemporary street-rooted figurative art.
Collector Perspective
This is a 2017 screen print issued in a gold colorway, a common Peterson practice of releasing the same composition across two or more palette variants (typically a black/white edition alongside a metallic or red one). Edition size for this release is not confirmed here; Peterson screen prints from this period generally ran in editions of roughly 100-150 and were hand-signed and numbered in pencil along the lower edge. The pictured sheet shows a pencil edition notation at lower left and a signature at lower right, consistent with a signed/numbered impression. Within his market this sits as a representative mid-period print rather than a rare anomaly, valued for its clean, aggressive imagery and the desirable gold treatment. Confirm the exact edition number and signature before purchase, since value tracks condition and the specific colorway.
Historical Context
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) emerged in the 2010s with a body of paintings and prints built on flat, high-contrast scenes of fighting, clubbing and subjugation that lay bare the mechanics of power and violence. The Crawler (Gold), from 2017, belongs to this prolific mid-decade run when Peterson was producing limited screen prints in disciplined two- and three-color palettes and frequently collaborating with Shepard Fairey's circle. The work's frieze-like staging and weaponized aggressor draw directly on his stated interest in Greek vase painting and Hogarth, recast for a contemporary moment preoccupied with authoritarianism and social conflict.
FAQ
What does The Crawler (Gold) depict?
A large black-silhouetted figure stands over two gold figures, raising a club to strike them as they crawl and cower beneath him, with a severed head on the ground at his feet. It is a scene of one-sided violence and domination.
What is the edition size?
The edition size for this release is not confirmed in our records. Peterson screen prints from this era typically ran in editions of roughly 100-150 impressions. Verify the printed edition number on the sheet itself.
Is it signed and numbered?
Impressions of this print were hand-signed and numbered in pencil along the lower edge. The pictured example shows a pencil notation at lower left and a signature at lower right.
What medium and series is this?
It is a screen print from 2017, issued in a gold colorway. Peterson commonly releases a single composition in multiple palette variants, so a black/white or red version of the same image may also exist.
Who is Cleon Peterson?
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) is a contemporary American artist known for stark black, white, red and gold scenes of violence and power. He draws on Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art, and is a frequent Shepard Fairey collaborator.
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.