Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Doom Alone II”
Summary
Doom Alone II depicts a hulking black figure striding forward with a long golden spear or oar gripped across its body, trampling a tangle of fallen, contorted bodies rendered in white and gold beneath its feet. The composition distills Cleon Peterson's signature subject — the predator advancing over the conquered — into a single executioner figure, a concentrated meditation on domination and the wreckage left in power's wake.
Why It Matters
This print captures Peterson at his most reductive and forceful: a lone aggressor reduced to a black silhouette, the victims piled and broken below, the violence framed as inevitable and total. The flat black, white and gold palette and the friezelike arrangement of writhing limbs draw directly on ancient Greek vase painting and Hogarthian moral satire, recasting classical heroic form as brute conquest. It is a strong example of how Peterson uses spare, high-contrast graphic language to make abuse of power feel both timeless and immediate.
Collector Perspective
An edition of 24 places this among the scarcer Cleon Peterson screen prints, well below his more common runs in the hundreds. As a hand-pulled screen print it would typically be signed and numbered by the artist. The small edition and the strong, gold-accented single-figure composition appeal to collectors focused on Peterson's tighter graphic works rather than his large narrative crowd scenes. Demand for Peterson editions has been steady, and low-edition pieces like this surface less often on the secondary market.
Historical Context
Made in 2017, this print sits in the core period when Cleon Peterson's reputation was firmly established through gallery editions and high-profile Shepard Fairey collaborations. It belongs to his sustained body of black/white/gold compositions exploring power, conquest and social violence, themes developed throughout the 2010s from Greek antiquity, Hogarth and street art.
FAQ
What does Doom Alone II depict?
A large black figure striding forward carrying a long golden spear or oar, advancing over a heap of fallen, twisted bodies rendered in white and gold — a concentrated image of domination and conquest.
What is the edition size?
The edition is limited to 24.
Is the print signed and numbered?
As a hand-pulled limited screen print, works in this edition are typically signed and numbered by the artist; buyers should confirm with the specific example.
What medium and year is this?
It is a screen print made in 2017.
Who is Cleon Peterson?
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) is an American artist known for stark, high-contrast black/white/red/gold scenes of violence, power and social conflict, drawing on Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art, and 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.