Artwork Description
The Passions 1 Limited Edition 3-Color Hand-Pulled Silkscreen Print on 100% Cotton Rag Archival Paper by Cleon Peterson Graffiti Street Artist Modern Pop Art.
2009 Signed & Numbered Limited Edition of 90 Artwork Size 18x18 Cleon Peterson The Passions, 2009 BLK/MRKT Editions
The Passions 1 by Cleon Peterson
The Passions 1 is a 2009 hand-pulled silkscreen print by Cleon Peterson, produced as a three-color edition on 100% cotton rag archival paper. The artwork measures 18 x 18 inches and is signed and numbered in a limited edition of 90, published by BLK/MRKT Editions. Like its counterpart The Passions 2, the composition uses Peterson’s signature black, red, and white palette to depict figures caught in moments of physical struggle and confrontation within a dense, forest-like setting.
Chaos, Conflict, and Human Instinct
In The Passions 1, Peterson presents violence as communal and cyclical rather than isolated. The figures grapple, strike, and collapse into one another, creating a continuous loop of aggression with no clear beginning or resolution. Faces are simplified and stylized, stripping away individuality and reinforcing the idea that these acts are driven by collective instinct rather than personal motive. The title invokes emotional intensity and desire, yet the imagery reframes passion as something volatile and destructive when unrestrained by morality or social order.
Context Within Cleon Peterson’s Work
This print is part of an important early body of work that helped define Cleon Peterson’s visual and thematic identity. Drawing influence from classical reliefs, political propaganda, and graphic design, Peterson reduces complex social realities into stark, symbolic scenes of power and submission. The Passions 1 stands as a companion to The Passions 2, together forming a concise statement on humanity’s darker impulses. As an early BLK/MRKT edition, it is regarded as a key collectible that captures the raw intensity and philosophical underpinnings that continue to shape Peterson’s practice today.
