Description of the picture:
Saint Sebastian – Guido Reni. 1st half of the 17th century. Canvas, oil. 170×133
The Italian painter Guido Reni (1575-1642) is a follower of the Bologna school, also known as an engraver.
One of the most favorite topics of the Renaissance among the painters was the martyrdom of St. Sebastian. This is due, first, to the possibility of depicting a naked male nature (not without some erotic overtone). In his painting “St. Sebastian” Reni portrayed a hero whose body was pierced by arrows. Sebastian painfully twisted in pain and fixed his gaze on the sky. The play of chiaroscuro, skillfully used by the artist, gives the body of the saint more pronounced volumes and texture."