Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “The Naked Woman & Man (White)”
Summary
A stark screen print rendering two nude figures in Cleon Peterson's signature flat silhouette style: a standing black female figure dominates the composition, planted upright with hands gripping a fallen, supine male figure beneath her, the two locked in a struggle pooled with gold. Working in a reduced black, white and gold palette on raw deckled paper, the print distills Peterson's recurring obsession with domination, bodily conflict and the reversal of power into a single confrontational image drawn from the visual language of classical Greek vase painting.
Why It Matters
The image strips Peterson's brutality down to its essentials: two bodies, no setting, no narrative distraction. The standing woman's command over the prone man inverts the usual gender dynamics of classical heroic imagery, turning the ancient vase-painting vocabulary Peterson loves into a contemporary meditation on power, submission and the violence latent in human relations. Rendered as a small white-ground edition with metallic gold accents, it is a clean, gallery-ready example of the artist's flat-graphic approach to figure and conflict.
Collector Perspective
An edition of just 18 makes this one of the scarcer Peterson screen prints to surface, well below the artist's more common 100-plus-run releases. The "(White)" designation points to a paired colorway release, where the same composition typically also exists in a black-ground variant; collectors who want the full set generally pursue both. As a hand-signed, numbered work on deckled-edge paper, it sits in the desirable end of Peterson's print market, though as a smaller standalone image rather than a flagship End of Empire or large-format piece its ceiling is more modest. Strong condition and the intact low edition number are the value drivers here.
Historical Context
Produced in 2022, this print belongs to Peterson's mature period, after his breakout End of Empire body of work and his high-profile collaborations with Shepard Fairey had established him as a leading voice in politically charged figurative printmaking. By this point he had refined the flat black-silhouette-on-light-ground formula seen here, drawing openly on Greek black-figure pottery, Hogarth and street-art graphics to stage scenes of conflict and dominance. The reduced two-figure format and gold accents are characteristic of the smaller, focused editions he released in the early 2020s.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
Two nude figures rendered as flat black silhouettes: a standing female figure dominating a fallen, supine male figure beneath her, the pair locked in a struggle accented with pooled gold, set against a plain white ground on deckled paper.
What is the edition size?
The edition is limited to 18.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. This is a hand-signed screen print, pencil-signed by Cleon Peterson and numbered as part of the edition of 18.
What is the medium?
It is a screen print on paper with a deckled edge, using Peterson's reduced black, white and gold 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. Drawing on classical Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art, he is also 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.