Divine Penetration. Who knew that saintliness could be so erotic? Come in and check out our new addition. Reni’s portrait of Sebastian, the youthful saint has already been penetrated by the arrows that make his martyrdom possible. He looks acquiescent, resigned: the body may be in pain (and about to die), but a greater reward is coming. The body’s exposed, lovingly detailed quality suggests, however, that some pleasures are available on earth and in the flesh, not just in heaven and in the spirit. (Reni’s portrait enshrines Sebastian as an icon in the queer continuum: it was one of Oscar Wilde’s favorite paintings, and authors as different as Yukio Mishima and Tennessee Williams have adapted the image for their use.)