Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “I Against I (Gold)”
Summary
A square gold-ground screen print in which two intertwined nude figures — one black, one white — are locked in a single writhing knot of violence, the snarling black figure straddling and seizing the white figure by the hair while raising an object overhead and the white figure clawing back. A characteristic Cleon Peterson tableau of self-against-self combat, its flat black/white forms and classical contour drawing channeling Greek vase painting on a luxe metallic field.
Why It Matters
I Against I" distills Peterson's central thesis — that brutality is internal, mutual and inescapable — into a single fused figure-group rather than a crowd, making the conflict read as one body turned against itself. The decision to drop the artist's signature red and let the violence play out in pure black-and-white against a flat gold ground heightens the icon-like, almost devotional quality of the image, recalling gilt religious panels and the End of Empire vase works while reducing the scene to its starkest moral terms. It is a concentrated, gallery-grade statement of the themes — power, aggression, the beast beneath civility — that have defined his work.
Collector Perspective
A 2026 screen print in a tight edition of 16, hand-signed in pencil (lower right) and numbered (lower left). The very small run places it among Peterson's scarcer paper editions — well below his typical 100–300 print runs — and the gold colorway makes it a premium variant likely issued alongside other color states. With only 16 examples it will trade thinly; expect strong demand from established Peterson collectors against limited secondary supply, with pricing driven more by the small edition and gold treatment than by broad liquidity. Condition of the metallic ground (scuffing shows easily on gold) is a key value factor.
Historical Context
Cleon Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) emerged from skateboarding and street-art culture to become one of the most recognizable contemporary printmakers of social violence, working in a flat black/white/red/gold vocabulary indebted to Greek vase painting, Hogarth and graphic design. "I Against I (Gold)," dated 2026, belongs to his ongoing body of intimate combat scenes — paired or fused figures locked in struggle — and to his recurring use of a gold ground that elevates brutality to the status of classical or sacred imagery, continuing themes developed across the 2010s and 2020s including his End of Empire vases and his collaborations with Shepard Fairey.
FAQ
What does I Against I (Gold) depict?
Two intertwined nude figures, one rendered in black and one in white, locked in a violent struggle on a flat gold ground. The black figure snarls and grips the white figure by the hair while raising an object overhead; the white figure claws back. The two bodies merge into a single tangled mass, reading as a self-against-self conflict in keeping with the title.
How large is the edition?
The edition is just 16 — a very small run for a Peterson paper print, making this a scarce variant.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. It is hand-signed by Cleon Peterson in pencil at the lower right and numbered out of 16 at the lower left.
What is the medium?
It is a screen print, dated 2026, on a solid gold/ochre ground with the figures in flat black and white and fine gold-line interior detailing.
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 drawn from 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.