Abstract
What does the unofficial artist see from the public seats of a courtroom? I have drawn occasionally in the UK Supreme Court, with the court’s permission. I have also drawn proceedings in other courts, such as nude appearances of the Naked Rambler, but these sketches have to be from memory: despite calls for greater transparency, it is still illegal to draw in any UK court below the UK Supreme Court. Official court artists seek to draw a newsworthy moment to please their paymasters—news outlets, or lawyers who like a flattering image. I can please myself and pick out private human moments or elements of coded theatre. I write as a non-lawyer, representing the view of the lay person. What are the public, lawyers, parties and judges doing? How do performance nerves affect people? What can a drawing say? I take a practical rather than a theoretical look: I literally get my hands dirty.
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http://justice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Justice-in-an-age-of-austerity-Lord-Neuberger.pdf.
The Analysis of Beauty, William Hogarth, 1753.
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Williams, I. Drawn to Court: What Does the Unofficial Eye See?. Int J Semiot Law 34, 145–171 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11196-019-09653-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11196-019-09653-0