Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “End Of Days”
Summary
A stark black-and-white screen print depicting a hulking, faceless male aggressor pressing a long sword horizontally across the throat of a smaller, vulnerable nude female figure, both rendered in flat silhouette against a starry night sky and barren white horizon. The work distills Cleon Peterson's central preoccupation — the brutality of unchecked power and the predator-prey dynamic beneath civilization — into a single, taut moment of imminent violence.
Why It Matters
End Of Days" is a concentrated example of Peterson's mature visual language: the reduction of human conflict to flat, almost iconographic silhouettes that recall Greek vase painting and Hogarth's moralizing scenes, here stripped to a black/white palette for maximum graphic shock. The contrast between the powerful, dominant aggressor and the exposed, defenseless victim — the blade at the throat, the menace held in a frozen instant — embodies the abuse-of-power theme that runs through Peterson's entire body of work. Pieces like this, depicting raw domination and the threat of death, are the kind that built his reputation in the early 2010s and made him a frequent collaborator of Shepard Fairey.
Collector Perspective
A 2012 screen print in a tight edition of 40, hand-signed in pencil at lower right. The small edition size places it among Peterson's scarcer early prints, well below the runs of his later, more widely distributed releases. The austere black-and-white palette (rather than his signature red/gold) and the explicit violence make this a hardcore-collector piece rather than an entry-level decorative one — it appeals to buyers who want the confrontational core of his work. Early Peterson editions of this scale trade infrequently but hold steady interest among collectors who follow the artist and his Fairey associations.
Historical Context
Created in 2012, during the period when Peterson (b. 1973, Seattle) was sharpening the flat, high-contrast figurative style that would define his career and lead to his "Poison" and later "End of Empire" bodies of work. This era saw him translating his paintings of clubbing, fighting and dominating figures into limited screen prints, drawing equally on classical antiquity, Hogarthian satire and the graphic urgency of street art. Works from these years established the predator/victim and power/violence vocabulary he has explored ever since.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A large, faceless male figure in black silhouette holds a sword across the throat of a smaller nude female figure against a starry night sky — a frozen moment of domination and threatened violence that typifies Peterson's exploration of the abuse of power.
What is the edition size?
The edition is limited to 40.
Is it signed and numbered?
It is hand-signed by the artist in pencil at the lower right. Prints in this edition are typically numbered; confirm the specific edition number on the individual sheet.
What medium and year is this?
It is a screen print from 2012.
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. Drawing on Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art, he 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.