PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Auckland since 1987

This work belongs to a series of well-known courtroom portraits completed by Garth Tapper. These paintings are an interesting take on the tradition of legal art. Consider its two main iterations: first, the portraits of judges and barristers which line the walls of courthouses. This is portraiture at a grandiose and formal level - depictions of serious older men in wigs. Secondly, there is the tradition of courtroom sketches, which has a documentary function. In the absence of cameras or live reportage, sketch artists are responsible for capturing the spirit of the courtroom and tone of proceedings. The setting is static and makes it hard to express originality through the visual medium; this results in a sophisticated kind of caricature. Bringing together these traditions of portraiture and court sketching is Brothers in Law. Fluid brushstrokes give this scene a sense of sketchy liveliness. While the lawyer on the right is holding forth in an imploring way, the one on the left is rigid with tension. The two men have been brought to life as individuals in a profile portrait, and the energy of the scene gravitates around them. In the background, the idea of a courtroom sketch comes to life: a red-faced man in a suit sits next to a woman with a severe bun who is leaning forward in anticipation. Close to them, a man checks his watch and someone in the back row has fallen asleep, completing the cycle of courtroom drama and dullness.