gay icon, saint sebastian, yukio mishima, confessions of a mask

Saint Sebastian by guido reni (1616)

saint sebastian is considered as the earliest gay icon.

the painting above is somewat carnal to me. the image of an almost nude man with a beefy physique would sure provoke sexual connotations among perverted queers centuries ago... and if u have some fetishes, the arrow could be an added bonus depending on ur imagination. (am i bordering on blashphemy here?)

japanese writer yukio mishima posing as saint sebastian. he embraced masculinity with much passion. he was serious in toning his body and he liked flaunting the result. adonis complex?

anyways, its interesting to note that mishima's novel "confessions of a mask" has referrences to saint sebastian. hence the picture above.

photos by: simandan.com, independent.co.uk