The artwork, “St. Sebastian and the Angel,” is an oil painting on wood created by Gustave Moreau in 1876. It is a religious painting, belonging to the Symbolism art movement and is housed in the Fogg Museum (Harvard Art Museums) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. The artwork measures 39.7 by 69.5 centimeters.
The painting depicts St. Sebastian, a Christian martyr traditionally shown as a young man tied to a tree, pierced with arrows. The artist, Moreau, has captured the poignant moment with meticulous detail, featuring an angel with red and white wings positioned behind St. Sebastian. The angel appears to offer comfort or deliver a divine message, reinforcing the painting’s religious significance. The background is infused with ethereal light and a bleeding cross, emphasizing the spiritual and sacrificial theme of the composition. Moreau’s use of soft, diffused lighting and rich, warm hues imbues the painting with a sense of mysticism and reverence, characteristic of the Symbolism movement.
