Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Promised Land (Day)”
Summary
A stark silhouette landscape in Cleon Peterson's signature flat black-and-gold palette: a lone armed figure stands atop a rocky promontory surveying a still body of water beneath a vast, bare dead tree and a sky of stylized gold clouds. Unusually quiet for Peterson, the scene trades his usual mob brutality for a brooding, post-conflict meditation on conquest and the desolate "promised land" left behind, a daytime gold-sky variant of his apocalyptic landscape series.
Why It Matters
The print marks one of Peterson's atmospheric, narrative-landscape works rather than his more familiar figure-on-figure violence, showing the aftermath and emptiness that follow the pursuit of power rather than the act itself. The lone soldier surveying a barren, lifeless terrain reads as an ironic indictment of the "promised land" myth, the idea that domination and migration deliver paradise, and ties Peterson's classical-frieze sensibility to the bleak, scorched-earth language of conquest. It is a strong example of how Peterson can wield restraint and negative space to land a political point as hard as his crowd scenes.
Collector Perspective
A 2023 screen print in a tight edition of just 24, hand-signed and numbered by the artist (a small numeral is visible at the lower left of the sheet). This is the daytime gold-sky counterpart to a related night variant, and the very low edition size puts it among the scarcer Peterson screen prints, well below his typical 100-plus runs. For collectors it offers a quieter, more painterly Peterson at a comparatively rare production number; secondary-market depth is thinner than his marquee black/white/red figure prints, so liquidity depends on finding the right buyer, but the small edition supports value retention.
Historical Context
Released in 2023, Promised Land (Day) belongs to Cleon Peterson's vein of allegorical landscape prints that expand beyond his early-2010s breakthrough crowd-violence imagery into mood-driven, cinematic tableaux. Working in the flat, high-contrast silhouette style he draws from Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art, Peterson here applies his vocabulary of power and ruin to a desolate panorama, part of a paired Day/Night release that lets the same composition shift emotional register through palette alone.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A lone armed silhouetted figure standing on a rocky outcrop above still water, beneath a large bare dead tree and a gold, stylized cloud-filled sky, all rendered in flat black and gold. It is a brooding landscape evoking conquest and the desolate aftermath of the search for a promised land.
What is the edition size?
The edition is limited to 24, making it one of the scarcer Cleon Peterson screen prints.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. It is hand-signed by Cleon Peterson, with the edition number marked at the lower left of the sheet.
What is the medium and is there a companion print?
It is a screen print produced in 2023. It is the daytime, gold-sky version, paired with a night variant of the same composition.
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/red/gold palette. He draws on classical 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.