Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Zig-Zag (Black)”
Summary
Zig-Zag (Black) depicts two stark white nude figures locked in a wrestling, off-balance struggle against a flat black ground, each gripping a gold staff or pole while their elongated limbs splay into a violent zigzag of lunging diagonals. The reductive black/white/gold palette and frieze-like, vase-painting composition are core to Peterson's vocabulary of bodies caught in perpetual conflict.
Why It Matters
The print distills Peterson's central preoccupation — the brutality and instability beneath civilized order — into its most graphic form: two anonymous, faceless bodies grappling for control of a gold rod that reads at once as weapon, scepter and prize. By stripping color to black, white and gold and freezing the figures mid-stagger, Peterson channels the flatness of ancient Greek vase painting and the moralizing line of Hogarth into a contemporary image about power changing hands through force. It is a compact, high-impact example of the violence-and-authority themes that anchor his work.
Collector Perspective
A 2023 screen print in a tight edition of just 16, hand-signed and numbered by the artist — among the scarcer Peterson editions on the market, where runs of 75 to 150 are more typical. The small edition and the spare, gold-accented composition give it strong wall presence and genuine rarity, though the very limited supply means secondary-market sales are infrequent and pricing can be uneven. Best viewed as a connoisseur's piece rather than an entry-level Peterson, attractive to collectors who already know the artist and want a low-edition example.
Historical Context
Made in 2023, the work sits within Cleon Peterson's mature body of black-white-and-gold figure studies, a period in which he refined his confrontational street-art roots into a tighter, more classical, frieze-like language drawing on Greek vase painting and 18th-century satire. The gold staff and dueling nudes echo his ongoing meditation on power, dominance and the cyclical violence of social order that runs through his End of Empire and related projects.
FAQ
What does Zig-Zag (Black) depict?
Two stark white nude figures locked in a wrestling, off-balance struggle on a black ground, each gripping a gold staff, their splayed limbs forming a violent zigzag — a scene about bodies fighting for power and control.
How large is the edition?
The edition is just 16, making it one of the scarcer Cleon Peterson prints.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. The print is hand-signed and numbered by Cleon Peterson, with the signature and edition fraction in the lower margin.
What is the medium?
It is a screen print, produced in 2023, using Peterson's signature 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. He draws on Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art, and 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.