Hendrick ter Brugghen (1625). Saint Sebastian Tended by Saint Irene [oil on canvas]. Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College, Ohio.

Brugghen has created a masterpiece that bends the fidelity of formal elements in a way that is transparent to the casual observer. The subject matter is brutal and graphic, but somehow Brugghen manages to present it in a sensitive manner, both in the tender moment he has brought to life and how his masterful skill has communicated it. He has installed tension within the observer based on horror and beauty.

This is a rare work where color purity is used foremost against the other formal elements, which is saying a lot because value does most of the heavy lifting in this general period of expression. The richly-colored robes beneath Saint Sebastian focus on his form by contrasting against his dull, sickly formatting. The sense of lifelessness in his body is undeniable; he appears to be moments from expiring. The unnatural darkening of the near-background instills in the mind a sense of the blackness soaking into Sebastian’s mind as death approaches while simultaneously pushing the primary center of interest forward. 
The subject and his attendant interlock with a certain intimate quality. Saint Sebastian’s relative size, placement and pallid appearance are the clear focus. The theme, like the value scale, is dark, but the actions of Saint Irene, the use of light and the formatting of the drapery beneath Sebastian provide a hint of hope. Value and color purity provide pictorial interest while form modelling and relative color warmth harmonize.

The scene is intimately framed, positioning the observer at a slightly lower angle to the interaction. This is consistent with the low position of the horizon line, but has the effect of pushing the subjects forward toward the observer. It is possible Saint Sebastian no longer has life in him, and depending on the observer, he could be a muscular man of action in defeat. Saint Irene would become the patron saint of nurses.