Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Wheat From Chaff (Black)”
Summary
A stark, symmetrical Cleon Peterson screen print in which four ghostly white figures crowd in around a single black-bodied figure who has been flipped upside-down, head at the bottom and legs splayed open, his pale hands thrown up in surrender or terror against a black void and a smear of gold at the horizon. It distills the recurring Peterson theme of the many overpowering the one — the "winnowing" of the title rendered as a brutal ritual of exclusion and domination.
Why It Matters
The composition is pure Peterson: a mirror-image, almost heraldic arrangement that turns a scene of mob violence into something ceremonial and inescapable, drawing equally on Greek vase iconography and his trademark flat black/white palette here lifted by a band of gold. The biblical title "Wheat From Chaff" — the sorting of the saved from the discarded — is weaponized into a comment on social hierarchy, scapegoating and the violence of belonging, the central concerns that have made Peterson one of the most recognizable political print artists of his generation. The inverted central figure, hands raised, gives the work a visceral immediacy that pushes the moral ambiguity of his "good versus evil" subjects to the foreground.
Collector Perspective
A 2025 screen print in a tight edition of only 20, hand-signed and numbered by the artist (the pencil numbering and "Cleon" signature are visible in the lower margin). At 20 copies this is one of Peterson's smaller, gallery-tier releases rather than a wide drop, which puts it well above his more common 100–150 run prints in scarcity. The black colorway typically pairs with a white variant; collectors who track Peterson should note that low editions like this surface infrequently on the secondary market and tend to hold value, though the artist's deepest liquidity remains in his larger, better-known editions.
Historical Context
Made in 2025, the print sits within Peterson's mature body of work exploring power, mob brutality and moral sorting, themes he has pursued since rising to prominence in the early 2010s and through high-profile collaborations with Shepard Fairey. The flattened figures, frieze-like symmetry and restricted palette tie directly back to the classical Greek vase painting and Hogarthian moralizing that have underpinned his practice throughout the decade.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
Four white figures press in around a single black figure who has been turned upside-down with his legs spread and hands raised in surrender, set against a black ground with a band of gold at the bottom. It reads as a ritualized scene of a crowd overpowering and casting out one individual.
How large is the edition?
The edition is just 20, making this one of Cleon Peterson's smaller, more limited releases.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. It is hand-signed by Cleon Peterson and numbered in pencil in the lower margin.
What is the medium?
It is a screen print, produced in 2025, in Peterson's signature flat black-and-white palette accented here with gold. This is the black colorway.
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.