Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Dark Rider (First Edition)”
Summary
A stark black-on-white screen print of a masked, muscular horseman rearing on a charging steed and swinging a club down onto a tangle of fallen, cowering figures who flail and crawl beneath the hooves. One of Cleon Peterson's signature scenes of brute domination, it distills his core subject — the abuse of power and the violence beneath order — into a single mounted aggressor crushing the defenseless.
Why It Matters
Dark Rider is a concentrated statement of Peterson's whole project: the strong trampling the weak, rendered in his flattened, silhouette-driven graphic language that owes as much to ancient Greek black-figure vase painting as to street art. The rearing horse and weapon-wielding rider read like a modern war-god or apocalyptic horseman, turning a timeless image of conquest into a comment on contemporary cruelty and authority. Stripped to pure black and white with no color to soften it, the print is among his most direct and confrontational compositions.
Collector Perspective
This is the First Edition, a hand-signed and numbered screen print in a very small run of 24 — far tighter than Peterson's larger open or 100+ editions, which puts it firmly in scarce territory and makes it harder to source on the secondary market. The monochrome black-and-white palette and the iconic mounted-aggressor motif make it a desirable example for collectors who want a definitive, uncomplicated Peterson image rather than a multi-color variant. Small edition size plus a recognizable subject supports steady demand, though thin supply means comps appear infrequently.
Historical Context
Produced in 2014, during the period when Peterson was consolidating the visual vocabulary — clubs, masked combatants, writhing bodies, flat black silhouettes — that runs through his End of Empire work and his collaborations with Shepard Fairey. The mounted warrior crushing the fallen draws directly on classical and mythological imagery of conquest and the horseman as agent of destruction, recast for a body of work obsessed with power, brutality, and social collapse.
FAQ
What does Dark Rider depict?
A masked, muscular rider on a rearing horse swinging a club down onto a group of fallen, cowering figures who scramble and crawl beneath the hooves — a scene of one aggressor dominating and brutalizing the defenseless.
What is the edition size?
This is the First Edition, limited to 24 prints.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. Like Peterson's editioned screen prints, it is hand-signed and numbered in pencil by the artist (signature lower right, number lower left).
What is the medium?
A screen print in black on white paper.
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 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.