Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “You Reaper You Sower (White)”
Summary
A stark monochrome screen print depicting a striding, skeletal-grimacing figure shouldering a large curved scythe while holding a small flame or sparking object in its raised hand, advancing over a patch of grass against a flat black sky and gray ground. It is classic Cleon Peterson — a Death/Reaper allegory rendered in his flat, high-contrast, Greek-vase-derived graphic language about mortality, consequence and the brutality beneath civilization.
Why It Matters
The print distills the proverb "you reap what you sow" into a single iconic figure of Death the harvester, turning a moralistic adage into a menacing emblem of inevitability and judgment. Peterson's reduction of the body to a flat white silhouette with a leering, fanged face against pure black is the visual signature that made his work resonate as a contemporary descendant of Greek black-figure pottery, Hogarth's moral satire and street-poster graphics. As a Reaper image it sits squarely in his ongoing meditation on death, power and the cycle of violence, making it one of the more legible and collectible single-figure statements in his print output.
Collector Perspective
A 2022 screen print in a very small edition of 17, hand-signed and typically pencil-numbered in the lower margin (signature visible lower right, edition notation lower left). The tiny edition makes this far scarcer than Peterson's standard print runs, which often range from the low hundreds; it represents the upper tier of his prints in terms of rarity. This White colorway is one of a set of palette variants of the same composition, a common Peterson release strategy that lets collectors chase the version that suits them. Market interest in Peterson is steady, driven in part by his Shepard Fairey associations, with this scale of edition favoring committed collectors over casual buyers.
Historical Context
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) built his reputation on flat black/white/red/gold scenes of fighting, dominance and social collapse that expose the abuse of power. Released in 2022, You Reaper You Sower extends his recurring Death-and-mortality theme into a single-figure Reaper allegory, drawing on the same classical and moralizing sources — Greek vase painting and Hogarthian moral imagery — that underpin series like End of Empire. The reduced grayscale palette and emblematic composition are characteristic of his work from this period.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A striding Death/Reaper figure carrying a large curved scythe over its shoulder while holding a small flame or spark in its other hand, walking across a strip of grass. It is a visual rendering of the proverb that you reap what you sow.
What is the edition size?
The edition is limited to just 17, making it one of Cleon Peterson's scarcer prints.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. These prints are hand-signed by the artist (signature lower right) and pencil-numbered in the lower margin.
What is the medium and is this a specific colorway?
It is a screen print, and this is the White version — one of several palette variants of the same composition, rendered here in black, white and gray.
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 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.