Happy St Sebastian's Day!

I know it's not good art, and it's probably not even particularly healthy. But there's a tacky charm of the late night McDonald's variety about Pierre and Gilles's work, and if you fancy a nice quick Ganymede (or two), just a bit more sunshine and colour in your life, or even something a bit more controversial, then many would ask where's the harm.

After all, it's mostly just good clean fun. They do deal with darker and sometimes painful themes as well, but normally this is with an ambiguity or lightness of touch that allows for thoughtfulness without ill feeling. Topics can be gruesome but still just about work in context. The artists have just about enough charm to get away with being cheeky from time to time. And they're also aware of their own limitations.

Their St Sebastian isn't actually one of their better works, but it is perhaps one of their most, er, "iconic". (In fact, they've done quite a few Sebastians, over the years. Other modern efforts have of course been less successful, though perhaps one should give credit for trying.)

There's a rather overly lengthy post about the appeal of St Sebastian in art down the centuries over at the "salvation through sodomy" blog The Wild Reed. The Crescat has a shorter but rather nicer post here.

Finally, whilst looking around for pretty pictures I found a fun-looking blog actually called Catholic Eye Candy. Again, obviously treating religion merely as spectacle is totally inappropriate. (Have a look at what this nitwit has to say if you wonder where purely "aesthetic" Catholicism will get you. On the other, this guy seems to have been a rum sort of cove but at least had most of the right ideas.)

But my, what a spectacle it is!