In class, we discussed how disease was represented in art. Specifically, we talked about ergotism and its importance in the Antonite monk order. The disease’s brutality and the lack of medicine led many to view illness as punishment from God. For instance, we discussed the old depiction of the Plague as God shooting arrows at the sick. The portrayal of St Sebastian in the altarpiece was viewed not only as a work of art, but as an object of prayer. Similarly, the skin of Christ is depicted as green and sickly, reminding the viewer of the pain and suffering not only of Jesus, but of those suffering from disease.