Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Truth (What Have We Lost) (Timed Edition)”
Summary
A stark black, white and red screen print in which a lone white silhouetted figure shoulders a pole or staff and walks toward the viewer down a converging perspective road, beneath a radiant white sun labeled "TRUTH." Two disembodied black hands reach in from cliffs marked "LEFT" and "RIGHT," with a star-field tail of an American flag dissolving into the foreground — Cleon Peterson's pared-down meditation on political polarization and the erosion of shared truth.
Why It Matters
The image distills a recurring Peterson concern — the abuse of power and the collapse of civic order — into an unusually allegorical, sign-driven composition. By literally labeling the opposing cliffs "LEFT" and "RIGHT" and crowning the scene with a sun reading "TRUTH," Peterson trades his usual brawling figures for graphic political iconography, making this one of his most direct statements on American division and the fight over what is real. The flattened, high-contrast palette and propaganda-poster clarity also place it squarely in the visual lineage he shares with Shepard Fairey, underscoring his role at the intersection of fine-art printmaking and protest graphics.
Collector Perspective
A Timed Edition screen print with a small stated edition of 24, produced in 2022. Timed editions are sold during a fixed window but this run was capped at 24 impressions, making it genuinely scarce relative to Peterson's larger numbered drops. Peterson screen prints are typically hand-signed and numbered; buyers should confirm signature and numbering on the specific impression. As a politically explicit, text-driven image it sits slightly outside his most iconic violence-and-mob compositions, which can mean softer secondary demand — but the very low edition size supports its desirability for theme-focused and completist collectors.
Historical Context
Created in 2022, the print belongs to Peterson's body of work confronting political division and the breakdown of consensus reality in the post-2020 American climate. It extends his long-running examination of power and authority into the specific language of partisan conflict — "left" versus "right" — at a moment of intense polarization, rendered in the flat black/white/red palette and poster-graphic vocabulary that ties his studio practice to street-art and propaganda traditions.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A white silhouetted figure carrying a pole walks down a converging road toward the viewer beneath a white sun marked 'TRUTH,' flanked by two black hands emerging from cliffs labeled 'LEFT' and 'RIGHT,' with a fading star field evoking an American flag — an allegory of political polarization and contested truth.
What is the edition size?
The edition is limited to 24 impressions.
Is it signed and numbered?
Peterson's screen prints are typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist; buyers should verify the signature and numbering on the specific impression they are acquiring.
What is the medium?
It is a screen print (silkscreen), issued as a Timed Edition in 2022.
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 in a flat black, white and red palette. He draws on Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art, and is a frequent collaborator with 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.