Saint Sebastian in Sepia - Limited Edition of 5 Print

Saint Sebastian is one of the most iconic male saints to be portrayed by visual artists. This etching—based on my original drawings adapted from a publicity photo from a 1976 British film entitled, “Sebastiani”—shows the saint during his supposed execution. The media include am original blend of colored oil base etching inks printed on STONEHENGE cream colored paper. The inks employed were Charbonnel brand from Paris, and the paper was from a batch when Stonehenge was still manufactured in the U.K. I used a zinc etching plate that measured 7 inches high by 5 inches wide, or 17.780 cm by 12.700 cm, which is consequently the same as the image size. The wood and glass frame’s front size is almost 12 inches by 9 inches wide. The price includes mat, frame with glued paper packing, all shipment costs, carton, handling fees, and packing materials. Discounts are not entertained. This original, hand printed etching employs the studio techniques of aquatint, intaglio, and drypoint. It is published in only FOUR editions, each limited to only five etchings. Printed (in Philadelphia at The Center for Works on Paper in Fleisher Art School’s Open Studio in Printmaking) on a Charles Brand industrial press made in New York City. The story of this saint involves many different narratives, depending on what source is researched. The official Roman Catholic version lacks in many facts, including the truth about Sebastian’s Pagan belief in Apollo, as compared to Christ, and his sadomasochistic and homesexual desires. In the film “Sebastiani” (directed by Derek Jarman and Paul Humfress, and written by Jarman, Humfress and James Whaley [music by Brian Eno and Andrew Thomas Wilson] ) the plot surrounds the relationships between the Roman soldiers set in an out-of-the-way and costal Roman outpost in the 4th Century A.D. The film was done not in English, but in Latin. The male-only military community in this isolated environment forces the soldiers to sexually satisfy one another. When Sebastian refuses the advances of his superior officer, he is tied to a tree and used as a central point for archery practice. The film ends with Sebastian’s murder. The Vatican’s story, which never mentions homosexuality, continues beyond this point with Saint Irene of Rome taking Sebastian’s body to bury it. He turns out to be alive and she nurses him to health. Sebastian becomes a devout Christian and supposedly sermonized the Roman Emperor Diocletian for his abuses against Christians. This open criticism amazes the emperor, who orders Sebastian’s death by being beaten with tree trunks, sticks, and bats. After death, the saint’s body is tossed into an open sewer, but is fished out by a holy woman named Lucina. She buries Sebastian in catacombs at the entrance of the cemetery of Calixtus, where the Basilica of St. Sebastian now stands. And as in the Greek film NEVER ON SUNDAY (with Melina Mecuri), the plot always ends with Medea and her children, “all going to the seashore”.

Printmaking:Aquatint on Paper

Artist Produced Limited Edition of:5

Size:9 W x 12 H x 1 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.