BY MADELINE VASQUEZ
Orazio Borgianni, an Italian painter, was known for his deep and passionate religious artistry. He was greatly inspired by Caravaggio and focused on eerie realism with the incorporation of light, shade, and detail. He enjoyed painting works of art for churches that allowed him to stay within his form of expertise. Although he is not one of the most recognized painters out there, his work is quite fascinating. But, the most important thing of all, in my opinion, is that he knows how to paint one attractive Saint.


Saint Sebastian (1615), is a beautifully painful painting of Saint Sebastian himself, a martyr during the persecution of Christians done by Diocletian, the Roman emperor. He went to Rome to join the army and worked under Diocletian. Truth be told, he was a Christian who was succeeding at converting many soldiers to Christianity. When Diocletian found out about this “sinful act” he ordered his archers to kill Saint Sebastian by arrows. This painting done by Borgianni is an image captured of Saint Sebastian dying and in pain with an arrow pierced into the left side of his chest. The dark shading in the background and the shadowing of his body creates such power to the painting, along with the highlights of light appearing throughout his upper body. Although this illustration of him is depressing, he looks quite beautiful. I never in a million years would hear myself say that Saint Sebastian could be such a hottie.


When I look at him, I see pure beauty. Beauty that not only comes from the outside, but also from within. He not only has perfectly chiseled features, but also a toned body, which is a win, win. Although you can see that he is in pain, “beauty is pain”. The fact that he was strong through everything he went through, makes him even more pleasing and captivating to look at. I could stare at him all day. I know if I were to see him in public I would most definitely take a picture of him and send it to my friends. Surprisingly, Saint Sebastian is bae material.