Gauntlet Gallery
What is Cleon Peterson’s piece called “Paint The Town (Gold & White)”
Summary
A row of four near-identical muscular male figures, stripped to briefs and rendered in flat metallic gold on a cream sheet, march in profile with arms raised in a unified clenched-fist gesture. The repeated, interchangeable bodies and collective salute typify Cleon Peterson's interrogation of mob power, conformity and the menace of organized force.
Why It Matters
The print distills Peterson's central preoccupation — the brutality and groupthink beneath civilized order — into one of his most economical compositions. By repeating a single aggressive figure four times, he turns an individual into a faceless collective: an army, a gang, a marching crowd whose unanimity is itself the threat. The frieze-like profile arrangement and flat, sculptural musculature draw directly on classical Greek vase painting and relief, while the all-gold treatment lends the assembled mob a false aura of triumph and monument, sharpening Peterson's irony about power and authority.
Collector Perspective
An edition of only 16 puts this among the scarcer Cleon Peterson screen prints to reach the market, well below the artist's more common 100–150 run sizes. It is hand-signed and numbered in pencil (signature lower right, edition number lower left) and exists as one of a small set of color/metallic variants of Paint The Town. The tiny edition and the gold-on-cream variant treatment make it a desirable variant for focused Peterson collectors, though the low population means comparable sales surface infrequently; expect availability to be opportunistic rather than steady.
Historical Context
Produced in 2014, during the period when Peterson's black/white/red graphic language and Greek-antiquity influences were cementing his reputation through gallery shows and his ongoing association with Shepard Fairey and street-art print culture. Paint The Town was issued as a screen print in multiple small-run color and metallic variants; this is the Gold & White version. The work sits squarely within his mid-decade body of figures-in-conflict imagery that translates ancient frieze and vase composition into commentary on contemporary aggression.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
Four nearly identical muscular men in profile, wearing only briefs, marching in a row with their arms raised in a clenched-fist gesture — a repeated figure that reads as a unified, faceless mob or marching force, rendered entirely in metallic gold on a cream sheet.
How large is the edition?
The edition size is 16, making it one of Cleon Peterson's scarcer print releases.
Is it signed and numbered?
Yes. It is hand-signed in pencil by Cleon Peterson at the lower right and numbered at the lower left.
What is the medium and which version is this?
It is a screen print from 2014. This is the Gold & White variant of Paint The Town, one of several small-run color/metallic versions of the image.
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 classical Greek vase painting, Hogarth and street art, and a frequent collaborator with Shepard Fairey, he exposes the abuse of power and the brutality beneath civilization.
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.