“Taylor Swift’s Courtroom Doodle: Artistic Expression or Misunderstood?”
Image source, Reuters/Getty
A court sketch and a photo of Taylor Swift
Pop star Taylor Swift’s lawsuit against ex-radio DJ David Mueller, who she alleges groped her, has raised awareness about sexual assault, and the questioning victims face when they take legal action.
Perhaps inevitably, given her high profile and her legions of fans, it’s also sparked a debate about the art of court sketches.
Many have criticised the court art, arguing that the drawings look nothing like Taylor Swift – or joking that the artist must be a fan of her rival, Katy Perry.
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And it’s not the first time court sketches have been mocked online – sketches of pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli and NFL player Tom Brady have also seen their fair share of memes and comments.
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But actually, court sketches play an important role in modern trials – and the artists say there’s a lot more to the job than just sketching a likeness.
Why are there court artists anyway?
It’s often the only way we can get a visual insight into how a trial looks.
While cameras are allowed in many US courts (and some trials are even televised), cameras are banned from federal courts.
Instead, court artists are used to capture key moments of the trial – including a speaker’s expressions, emotions and body language.
Artist William Hennessy Jr, who has covered high-profile trials including those of Chris Brown and Mike Tyson, says it’s a challenge because “nobody’s there to pose for you”.
Celebrity court cases are particularly tough because “the more people know the individual, the more critical they’re likely to be – so the pressure is on for you to get the likeness accurate”.
Image source, William Hennessy Jr
Bill Hennessy sketched Donald and Melania Trump at Neil Gorsuch’s investiture in the Supreme Court
He likens the job to being a court reporter.
“You want to think journalistically – you’re providing a visual for a story,” he tells the BBC. “You want to do it in context and provide a feeling of what a courtroom is like.”
The deadlines are brutal
Jane Rosenberg was behind the 2015 sketches of Tom Brady that went viral.
After they sparked dozens of memes online, she apologised for “not making him as good-looking as he is” and said she had been “under a lot of pressure to work very quickly”.
She did try again – and people were pretty happy with her follow up effort – with one newspaper saying she had nailed it.
Christine Cornell, a court artist who sketched the Bill Cosby trial, agrees the job involves “hideous deadlines”.
“You have to get it down very fast – essentially [the moment] the hearing’s over is when they want the drawing,” she tells the BBC.