Silksreen, 2017

Edition : 129/150

62.00 cm. x 46.00 cm. | 24.41 in. x 18.11 in. (paper)

This silkscreen by Californian artist Cleon Peterson (b. 1973) shows two male figures, one of which, light in color, is in a state of submission compared to the other, darker in body. Of course, these fictional colors chosen by the artist are not descriptive or realistic. They are colors that differentiate individuals, or rather types of individuals: those who submit, those who are submitted. One could think of a form of binary thought put into image by the artist. But not at all: it is not a question of representing in a fixed way the good and the bad, but to show the complexity and the complementarity of the forces in each individual. Graphically, this is very noticeable: light colored spots are placed on the dark character and vice versa.
The difference in stature and build between the two male figures poignantly shows the consequences of this so-called law of the strongest, which Rousseau in the 18th century rightly wrote was not a law at all, since it was based only on a brutal relationship of force. The faces of the two protagonists are very similar, turned upwards, they express suffering. Provoking suffering does not leave one unharmed, that is what the face of the executioner shows. Cleon Peterson's art is an exploration of human relationships, which he never stops questioning.

Stylistically, the artist is freely inspired by the painting of Greek vases of antiquity. These vases were adorned with black figures on a red background and then at the end of the 6th century BC, the process was reversed; the figures were painted in red on a black background. Peterson keeps from the painters of Antiquity a graphic stylization which essentializes the characters, thus conferring them a timelessness.

Excellent condition
Handsigned by the artist in pencil
Certificate of authenticity

Ref : LCD4389