Gauntlet Gallery — Complete Cleon Peterson Print Index
Cruelty Is The Message (Red)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Cruelty Is The Message (Red) is documented in this catalog as a 2024 Screen Print. The saved release record lists dimensions of 14 x 44 inches. The saved record attributes the release to Cleon Peterson (Self Released). The cataloged edition information is 125.
Collector notes: The saved release record describes: Limited edition of 125. Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.
Why It Matters
The title functions almost as an artist's statement, naming cruelty itself as the content and communication of the work, a knowing nod to media theory. The elongated horizontal format encourages a processional, frieze-like reading of violence unfolding across its length, amplifying the sense of a repeating, systemic pattern.
Collector Perspective
The dramatic 14 x 44 inch panorama is a statement-scale piece suited to long walls and above-furniture placement, giving it standout display potential. The red colorway intensifies the theme, and while the edition of 125 is among the larger 2024 runs, the format and blunt title give it strong individual identity.
Historical Context
Peterson's horizontal compositions consciously evoke classical friezes and battle reliefs, where violence was carved as continuous narrative. The title's phrasing recalls the mid-century idea that the medium is the message, repurposed to argue that in Peterson's world the delivery mechanism of power is cruelty itself.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned screenprint
- Release date
- 2024
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- Screen Print; catalog dimensions 14 x 44 inches; Hand-pulled screen print; On 290gsm Coventry Rag paper with deckled edges.
- Edition details
- The saved release record describes: Limited edition of 125.
- Signature and marks
- Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.
Documented History and Meaning
History note: This page treats Cleon Peterson's broader career as background context, not proof that this specific edition belongs to any single exhibition or event. Release-level facts here come from a saved secondary catalog record.
Meaning / interpretation: No per-work artist statement is recorded for this edition. Any thematic reading should be treated as interpretation of the imagery, not a documented statement of the artist's intent. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.
Release context: The saved catalog lists 2024 and attributes the edition to Cleon Peterson (Self Released).
Authentication, Presentation and Provenance
- Original presentation
- Original packaging or presentation was not documented in the release sources reviewed.
- Authentication note
- Compare the support, dimensions, edition number, and signature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet Gallery does not authenticate works purchased from third parties.
- Provenance note
- Edition origin is attributed in the saved record to Cleon Peterson (Self Released). That does not establish the ownership history of an individual copy: retain the original invoice, reseller or gallery paperwork, labels, correspondence, and condition photographs.
Sources and Verification
Verification status: Secondary catalog snapshot; artist-level context added
- Saved release record — Art Collectorz · secondary catalog snapshot · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Starting record for title, year, edition, dimensions, medium, and release description. Primary confirmation against the original release page remains pending.
- Cleon Peterson — official site — Cleon Peterson studio · primary artist source · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Official artist site; career context, not an individual-edition record.
- Cleon Peterson — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
- Cleon Peterson (Q124215748) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.
FAQ
What is the format?
A wide panoramic frieze measuring 14 x 44 inches.
What is the edition and colorway?
A red edition limited to 125 hand-pulled screen prints.
What does the title suggest?
It frames cruelty as the very content and communication of the work, echoing media theory.
What paper is used?
290gsm Coventry Rag paper with deckled edges.
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