Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Revenge (Night)”
Summary
Revenge (Night) depicts a brutal mob assault rendered in Cleon Peterson's signature flat, high-contrast style: a central pale figure is seized, beaten and pulled apart by a ring of black silhouetted aggressors, one raising a club overhead while a gold pool spreads beneath the victim's knees. It is a quintessential Peterson tableau of collective violence and the abuse of power, drawing directly on the visual language of ancient Greek vase painting.
Why It Matters
This print distills the core of Peterson's project: stripping civilization down to its predatory mechanics, where a crowd turns on a single body and brutality becomes spectacle. The restrained black, white and gold palette and the frieze-like composition deliberately echo classical antiquity, framing modern cruelty as something ancient and recurring rather than aberrant. As a "Night" variant within his recurring revenge/retribution imagery, it sits firmly in the body of work that made Peterson one of the most recognizable contemporary artists addressing power, mob morality and social conflict.
Collector Perspective
A 2023 screen print in a tight edition of 28, hand-signed and numbered by the artist. The very small run places it well below Peterson's typical 100-plus open-market editions, making it considerably harder to source than his standard releases and appealing to collectors who already own his more common prints. The gold ink and "Night" colorway variant add desirability among completists tracking his black/white/gold series. Market position is solid mid-tier within Peterson's print output: scarce by edition size, but not among his largest or most iconic statement works.
Historical Context
Created in 2023, this work belongs to the mature phase of Peterson's career, after his profile rose through collaborations with Shepard Fairey and high-profile projects addressing power and violence. The revenge/retribution theme and the gold "Night" palette recur across his prints of this period, continuing the artist's long engagement with Greek vase painting, Hogarth's moral scenes and street-art directness to indict the cruelty embedded in human social order.
FAQ
What does Revenge (Night) depict?
A mob of black silhouetted figures violently seizing and beating a single pale central figure, one attacker swinging a club overhead, with a gold pool spreading beneath the kneeling victim — a scene of collective retribution and the abuse of power.
How large is the edition?
The edition is just 28, a notably small run for Cleon Peterson.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. It is hand-signed and numbered by Cleon Peterson.
What is the medium?
It is a screen print, produced in 2023, using Peterson's characteristic flat black, white and gold inks.
Who is Cleon Peterson?
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) is a contemporary 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 Shepard Fairey collaborator.
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.