Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “The Burning City (Day)”
Summary
A landscape-format screen print in Cleon Peterson's stark black, white and gold palette depicting a medieval-looking citadel city across a body of water, its towers and ramparts glowing gold beneath a turbulent, camouflage-like sky of black, white and gold smoke clouds. A single lone silhouetted figure stands in the foreground at the water's edge, leaning on a staff or weapon, watching the burning city — a departure from Peterson's usual close-up brawling mobs toward a wider, almost apocalyptic panorama of civilization aflame.
Why It Matters
The Burning City (Day) extends Peterson's career-long meditation on the collapse of empire and the brutality beneath civilization into the register of landscape rather than figure. Where his signature work crowds the frame with clubbing, writhing bodies, here the violence is implied and atmospheric: a distant city consumed by smoke, a solitary witness, and a sky rendered as roiling gold-and-black clouds that recall both classical depictions of the fall of Troy and his own "End of Empire" mythology. The reduction to a single figure against a burning skyline gives the print an unusual stillness and gravity within his catalogue, making it one of his more contemplative and cinematic compositions.
Collector Perspective
Issued in 2023 as a hand-signed, numbered screen print in an edition of only 36, this is a notably small run for Peterson, who frequently releases editions in the hundreds. The tight edition size and the atypical landscape/skyline subject — distinct from the brawling-figure prints that dominate his market — give it appeal to collectors looking for something scarcer and less repetitive from his output. As a low-edition release it sits toward the premium end of his print market; condition (clean margins, no handling creases in the wide white border) and the pencil signature and numbering in the lower margin are the key value drivers.
Historical Context
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) built his reputation on flat, high-contrast scenes of violence, power and social conflict drawn from Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art, and is a frequent Shepard Fairey collaborator. The Burning City (Day) belongs to a 2023 body of work in which Peterson turned from his trademark fighting figures to apocalyptic cityscapes — burning citadels under storm-like skies — paired as day and night variants. The "Day" version uses gold as its accent in place of his more characteristic red, lending the smoke and the glowing city an almost gilded, end-of-empire grandeur.
FAQ
What does The Burning City (Day) depict?
A fortified medieval-style city across a stretch of water, its towers rendered in gold beneath a turbulent black, white and gold sky of smoke. A single silhouetted figure stands in the foreground at the shoreline, leaning on a staff, watching the city burn.
How large is the edition?
It is a limited edition of just 36 — a small, scarce run by Cleon Peterson's standards, as many of his prints are issued in editions of several hundred.
Is the print signed and numbered?
Yes. Peterson's screen prints are hand-signed and numbered in pencil in the lower margin, visible here in the wide white border below the image.
What is the medium?
It is a hand-pulled screen print (silkscreen), produced in 2023 in Peterson's flat 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 that draw on classical Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art. He 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.