Portraits of the artists

Noëlle Herrenschmidt

In 1987, after sixteen years illustrating for children’s press, I discovered the world of the justice system.
My first plunge into history: May 1987, the Barbie trial in Lyon for the newspaper La Croix.
Two months of deeply moving testimonies, captured with a dipper pen and Indian ink.
There, I had a decisive encounter with Pierre Truche, prosecuting counsel for this first trial of a crime against humanity. He helped me understand the judicial ritual.
Then followed the Touvier trial, and, for the newspaper Le Monde, the Papon trial. Six months in Bordeaux, the longest trial in French judicial history.
These months in a courtroom enabled me to put into practice my profession of reporter-watercolourist; describing, through my drawings, the audience itself and what went on behind the scenes, showing those who took part though not necessarily in the limelight, covering the different places, right down to the jury room, after the verdict

Recently I was asked to follow the Clearstream trial for the newspaper Le Monde, thanks to the new Website and blog of the journalist Pascale Robert-Diard, which confirmed one thing: a trial is a like a play, with its décor, its actors, each with his or her very specific part to play, costumes included. The form is classic: unity of setting, unity of action.
We know the structure, but not the unexpected developments – or the end. The suspense is maintained right up to the last act. There, the accused is acting to save at best his reputation, his image, his integrity; and in the worst scenario, his freedom.
Our job as courtroom sketch artists is to show, minute by minute, echoing and complementing the text of the judicial chronicler, the entire gamut of feelings which make this huis clos an unpredictable and fascinating concentration of humanity.

Listen to Noëlle Herrenschmidt, artist - 01:37 [MP3 - 1.1 Méga octets]