▁among ▁female ▁and ▁male ▁church go ers . ▁The ▁Bar o que ▁artists ▁usually ▁treated ▁it ▁as ▁a ▁no ct urn al ▁ch iar osc uro ▁scene , ▁ill umin ated ▁by ▁a ▁single ▁cand le , ▁tor ch ▁or ▁lan tern , ▁in ▁the ▁style ▁fashion able ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁half ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 7 th ▁century . ▁There ▁exist ▁several ▁cycles ▁dep ict ing ▁the ▁life ▁of ▁Saint ▁Sebastian . ▁Among ▁them ▁are ▁the ▁fres cos ▁in ▁the ▁" Bas il ica ▁di ▁San ▁Sebast iano " ▁of ▁A ci re ale ▁( Ital y ) ▁with ▁paint ings ▁by ▁Pietro ▁Paolo ▁V asta . ▁ ▁Eg on ▁Sch iele , ▁an ▁Aust rian ▁Expression ist ▁artist , ▁painted ▁a ▁self - port rait ▁as ▁Saint ▁Sebastian ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 5 . ▁ ▁Liter ature ▁and ▁fiction ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 1 1 , ▁the ▁Italian ▁play w right ▁Gab rie le ▁d ' An n un z io ▁in ▁conj unction ▁with ▁Claude ▁Deb uss y ▁produced ▁Le ▁Mart y re ▁de ▁saint ▁S éb ast ien . ▁The ▁American ▁composer ▁Gian ▁Carlo ▁Men otti ▁composed ▁a ▁bal let ▁score ▁for ▁a ▁Bal lets ▁Russ es ▁production ▁which ▁was ▁first ▁given ▁in ▁ 1 9 4 4 . ▁In ▁his ▁nov ella ▁Death ▁in ▁Ven ice , ▁Thomas ▁Mann ▁ha ils ▁the ▁" S eb ast ian - Fig ure " ▁as ▁the ▁supre me ▁em blem ▁of ▁Ap oll onian ▁beauty , ▁that ▁is ,