Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Power (Black and Yellow)”
Summary
A stark screen print in Cleon Peterson's flat black, white and gold palette showing a large grinning, drooling figure pinning and grappling a smaller white body beneath it — a compressed allegory of domination and the brutality of power. It distills Peterson's central preoccupation: the abuse of authority and the violence underlying social order.
Why It Matters
Power (Black and Yellow) is Peterson at his most reduced and emblematic. The single overpowering figure baring its teeth as it forces down a struggling victim strips his usual mob scenes down to a one-on-one parable of control, predation and submission. The gold (yellow) accents — flecks scattered across the black void and tracing the limbs — read as both wealth and corruption, tying the work to his ongoing meditation on how power consumes the weak. The graphic flatness and contour-line drawing draw directly on Greek vase painting and Hogarth, recast in a contemporary street-art idiom.
Collector Perspective
A tight edition of 24, screen printed, hand-signed and numbered by Peterson in pencil (lower-right signature and lower-left numbering visible in the margin). The small run puts it well below his more common 100-plus editions, making it a scarcer entry for collectors who already hold his standard prints. As a single-image, limited "Power" composition in the recognizable black/white/gold palette, it sits as a focused collector piece rather than a flagship — desirable for its low edition count, but not a large or headline release.
Historical Context
Released in 2020, this print comes from Peterson's mature period, by which point his vocabulary of grappling figures, bared teeth and high-contrast palettes was fully established through gallery shows and his many Shepard Fairey collaborations. The reduced two-figure confrontation and the black-and-gold scheme connect it to the power-and-empire themes he developed across the 2010s, continuing his examination of authority, dominance and the cruelty embedded in human hierarchies.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A large grinning, drooling figure looming over and pinning down a smaller white figure, with gold flecks scattered across a black field — an allegory of domination, predation and the abuse of power.
What is the edition size?
The edition is limited to 24.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. It is hand-signed by Cleon Peterson and numbered in pencil in the lower margin (signature lower right, edition number lower left).
What medium and palette is used?
It is a screen print in Peterson's signature flat black, white and gold (yellow) palette with bold contour-line drawing.
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. He draws on Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art and is a frequent collaborator of 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.