Artist, architect and art historian Vasari in painting showed himself as an adherent of Mannerism, that is, art that replaced the High Renaissance. The facial expressions and movements of the characters of this canvas, depicting the stoning of St. Stephen, are full of expression.
The torturers standing in the crowd are swinging stones to throw them at the saint, and Stefan, raising his eyes to the sky and spreading his hands, is praying passionately. The enlightened face of the saint is contrasted with the distorted hatred of the faces of the Gentiles. The clash of an active action and a spiritual message gives rise to a special tension in the work.
The elongated, flexible bodies of the characters, thanks to their postures and gestures, form a complex, sometimes capricious pattern, characteristic for the painting of the Mannerists, who strove for the expressiveness of lines and colors. The art of these masters was called first of all to awaken in the praying sympathy.
In the lower right corner Vasari placed a young man pointing to what was happening, urging him to admire the steadfastness of the saint, although Stefan’s appearance attracts the viewer’s eyes to him, and everything on it can hardly leave anyone indifferent.
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