Site Feed

Friday, November 25, 2005

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.)

» posted by Tom | link

Archives

April 2003 • May 2003 • June 2003 • July 2003 • August 2003 • September 2003 • October 2003 • November 2003 • December 2003 • January 2004 • February 2004 • March 2004 • April 2004 • May 2004 • June 2004 • July 2004 • August 2004 • September 2004 • October 2004 • November 2004 • December 2004 • January 2005 • February 2005 • March 2005 • April 2005 • May 2005 • June 2005 • July 2005 • August 2005 • September 2005 • October 2005 • November 2005 • December 2005 • January 2006 • February 2006 • March 2006 • April 2006 • May 2006 • June 2006 • July 2006 •