Artwork Description
Marchers Black Silkscreen Print by Cleon Peterson 2 Color Hand-Pulled on Deckled Fine Art Paper Limited Edition Pop Street Art Artwork.
2016 Signed & Numbered Limited Edition of 125 Artwork Size 13x34 Silkscreen Print of Tribal Men Carrying Bloody Swords Marching In Line.
Marchers Black by Cleon Peterson – Limited Edition Silkscreen in Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork
Marchers Black is a 2016 hand-pulled 2-color silkscreen print by Cleon Peterson, an American artist acclaimed for his stark allegories of violence, dominance, and control. This limited edition work is printed on 13 x 34 inch deckled fine art paper and was released in an edition of 125, each one signed and numbered by the artist. The image features six identical, stylized figures walking in strict formation, each with a sword slung over the shoulder. The figures are rendered in gold on a deep matte black background, emphasizing their ritualistic presence and evoking both ancient procession and modern conformity. The figures’ nudity, musculature, and uniform posture strip them of individual identity, instead casting them as instruments of institutional force, frozen in a silent parade of aggression.
Conformity, Power, and the Aesthetic of Ritual
In Marchers Black, Cleon Peterson isolates the mechanisms of systemic violence and repetition. The identical figures advance in step, their gestures calm yet loaded with menace. The blood-smeared blades on their backs are symbolic rather than graphic, suggesting not the moment of action but the aftermath—the silent normalization of brutality. The lack of expression or differentiation among the figures speaks to the erasure of individuality under oppressive structures, whether they be military, political, or societal. Their forward momentum, fixed and unrelenting, reads as both a march toward power and a descent into complicity. The black background serves not just as negative space but as psychological weight, amplifying the intensity of the gold silhouettes and enforcing a sense of visual and emotional gravity.
Cleon Peterson’s Signature Themes in Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork
Cleon Peterson is a leading voice in Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork, known for merging graphic minimalism with confrontational narratives. His compositions channel ancient mural traditions, propaganda design, and dystopian storytelling into modern allegories. Marchers Black exemplifies this approach by simplifying form to maximize meaning. While many artists in the genre celebrate rebellion, Peterson exposes the systems behind it—the hierarchies, the ritualistic cycles of violence, the role of submission in maintaining order. His work is not decorative but declarative, challenging viewers to confront the undercurrents of cruelty that persist beneath polished surfaces. Marchers Black is not a depiction of chaos, but of order so rigid it becomes inhuman. It visualizes the seduction and horror of control through the repetition of figures whose purpose is not to question, but to obey.
Material Execution and Collector Impact
Printed on premium deckled fine art paper using a two-layer silkscreen process, Marchers Black merges street aesthetics with refined printmaking tradition. The gold pigment contrasts dramatically against the matte black background, delivering a visual impact that echoes the thematic weight of the piece. Each print is hand-pulled and signed by Cleon Peterson, reinforcing its position as a deliberate and enduring object. As a limited edition of 125, it holds significant value for collectors interested in Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork that critiques systems of power without relying on spectacle. Marchers Black is both a visual mantra and a warning—documenting the quiet march of institutional violence, masked in symmetry, strength, and silence.
