Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Day Has Turned To Night (Red)”
Summary
A monumental nude warrior-figure sits enthroned and frontal against a blood-red ground, gripping a long staff or spear, with severed heads bleeding into pools at his feet. Rendered in Cleon Peterson's signature flat black-on-red silhouette, it is a stark allegory of conquering power and the corpses left in its wake, drawing directly on the artist's classical Greek vase-painting vocabulary.
Why It Matters
The print distills Peterson's core thesis — that power and civilization rest on violence and the dead — into a single iconic, throne-like figure. By staging a brutal victor surrounded by the heads of the vanquished, it reads as both a timeless mythic tableau and a contemporary commentary on tyranny and dominance. The reduced black-and-red palette and hard graphic edge make it among the most immediate and confrontational of Peterson's editioned images.
Collector Perspective
This is the red colorway of "Day Has Turned To Night," a 2021 screen print in a small edition of 32, hand-signed and numbered by the artist. The tight edition size places it among Peterson's scarcer paper releases, well below his larger Fairey-collaboration runs. It carries strong wall presence and clear thematic signature value; demand for Peterson's small-edition single-figure compositions in his red palette is steady among collectors of his work, though it sits in a more niche tier than his most widely circulated prints.
Historical Context
Day Has Turned To Night" dates to 2021, within the mature phase of Cleon Peterson's practice in which he repeatedly returned to enthroned and combatant figures borrowed from antiquity. The seated, frontal warrior with staff and severed heads echoes his ongoing engagement with Greek vase painting, Hogarthian moralizing and the imagery of conquest, themes that run through his "End of Empire" and related bodies of work exploring the brutality beneath order and authority.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A large nude male figure seated frontally like a throned ruler, holding a long staff or spear, with severed heads bleeding into pools of blood at his feet — an allegory of victorious, merciless power.
What is the edition size?
The edition is limited to 32 impressions.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. Like Peterson's editioned prints, it is hand-signed and numbered by the artist; a signature is visible at the lower right.
What medium and colorway is this?
It is a screen print, the red colorway of 'Day Has Turned To Night,' executed in Peterson's flat black-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 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.