Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “The Sublime (Black & White)”
Summary
A lone silhouetted figure stands at the edge of a still lake, clutching a weapon at his side, dwarfed beneath a vast turbulent sky and a wall of dark mountains, all rendered in Cleon Peterson's flat black, white and gray palette. Unusually quiet for Peterson, "The Sublime" trades his customary mobs and street violence for a single armed man confronting an overwhelming Romantic landscape, casting the lone aggressor as small and isolated against the indifferent scale of nature.
Why It Matters
The Sublime" is a notable outlier in Cleon Peterson's body of work. Where most of his prints stage explicit clubbing, fighting and crowd brutality, here the violence is implied and held in reserve — a solitary figure with a weapon, alone in a landscape that openly quotes the Romantic sublime tradition of Caspar David Friedrich's "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog." The piece distills his enduring themes of power, dominance and the lone aggressor into a single brooding silhouette, swapping the chaos of the mob for the existential smallness of one armed man under an enormous sky. For collectors it is a chance to own a quieter, more atmospheric and landscape-driven side of Peterson that still carries the menace running through his entire practice.
Collector Perspective
This is the black-and-white colorway of "The Sublime," a 2020 screen print in a small edition of 36, hand-signed by Cleon Peterson in pencil at the lower right. At 36 examples it sits firmly in the scarce range for Peterson, well below the 100–300 runs typical of his more widely released editions, which supports stronger long-term desirability. As an atypical, landscape-based and almost monochrome composition it appeals both to dedicated Peterson collectors completing a run and to buyers drawn to its quieter, Friedrich-inflected mood rather than his graphic violence. Condition, an intact pencil signature and provenance from the original release are the main value drivers; the low edition size means examples surface infrequently on the secondary market.
Historical Context
Released in 2020, "The Sublime" comes from a period in which Cleon Peterson — long known for stark scenes of violence, power and social conflict in his signature black, white, red and gold palette — increasingly explored mood and landscape alongside his figural work. The image directly engages the 18th- and 19th-century Romantic concept of the sublime and visually echoes Caspar David Friedrich's "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog," recasting that solitary contemplative figure as an armed man. It reflects Peterson's grounding in classical and art-historical sources, the same instinct that drives his End of Empire vases and antiquity-inspired work, here applied to the tradition of Romantic landscape painting.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A single small silhouetted figure holding a weapon at his side, standing at the edge of a still lake beneath a vast, turbulent sky and dark mountains — a lone armed man dwarfed by a brooding Romantic landscape.
How large is the edition?
The edition is 36, making it scarce relative to Cleon Peterson's more common 100–300 print runs.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. This is a hand-signed screen print, signed by Cleon Peterson in pencil at the lower right, and issued as a numbered limited edition of 36.
What is the medium and which colorway is this?
It is a screen print, and this is the Black & White colorway of 'The Sublime,' rendered in flat black, white and gray rather than Peterson's signature red and gold.
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, drawing on Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art, and a frequent collaborator of Shepard Fairey. 'The Sublime' is a quieter, landscape-based work within that body of work.
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.