On the afternoon of June 24, 2026, an academic lecture titled "Visual Arts and Legal Culture" was successfully held in Room 434, Xingmin Building, Xianlin Campus of Nanjing Normal University. The lecture was delivered by Professor You Chenjun from the Law School of Renmin University of China and was chaired by Associate Professor Chen Hui, Associate Dean of the Law School of Nanjing Normal University. Professors Wu Huan, He Baisheng, Feng Fei, and Associate Professor Wang Mingzhe served as discussants. Undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students from all levels of our college attended the lecture, creating a strong academic atmosphere.

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At the beginning of the lecture, Associate Dean Chen Hui extended a warm welcome to Professor You Chenjun and introduced his outstanding achievements in the fields of legal culture, sociology of law, and legal history.

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Centering on the theme "Visual Arts and Legal Culture," Professor You Chenjun delivered a layered analysis, beginning with the typological distinctions in research materials used in legal scholarship. He first pointed out that there is a clear divide in the selection of research materials in legal studies. Legal dogmatics focuses on "law in books," represented by legal provisions, while the social sciences of law emphasize "law in action," represented by cases and examples. However, these two categories of materials are insufficient to cover the full spectrum of legal phenomena. Professor You argued that the research horizon should be further extended to include "law in mind," and that the corresponding types of materials should be updated accordingly, with visual images being formally incorporated into the scope of academic inquiry.

On this basis, Professor You conducted a detailed analysis, taking export paintings on the theme of penal sanctions from the late Qing Dynasty as a point of departure. He pointed out that a notable feature of such paintings is the absence of background settings, which results in a loss of spatial and temporal cues. This omission subtly influenced foreigners' perceptions of Chinese justice and left ample room for their imagination regarding the state of Chinese law—a cognitive shift from "Chinese punishments" to "punitive China." Subsequently, Professor You presented a variety of visual images and their expressive content. For example, the use of photographic technology and postcards reinforced the impression of Chinese law as barbaric among foreigners; the Dazu Rock Carvings in Chongqing convey the deterrent implications of hellish judgment and karmic retribution in a direct sculptural form; the couplets at the Beijing Dongyue Temple express the universal warning of legal punishment through architectural language; and materials such as the comic book The Kangtou Judge, through its portrayal of characters and events, vividly reflect the legal perceptions of ordinary people in a specific time and place. Professor You emphasized in conclusion that research using visual images as material must be grounded in solid theoretical training; otherwise, it may easily remain at the level of superficial description and lose academic depth.

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During the discussion session, several scholars engaged in an in-depth and lively academic dialogue with Professor You Chenjun. Professor Wu Huan observed that Professor You had imparted to the faculty and students a methodology for conducting engaging research, demonstrating the importance of presenting China's legal image from within, and that his research serves as an excellent model of integrating knowledge and practice. Professor He Baisheng pointed out that research on legal culture and its dissemination in China is relatively weak compared to the West, possibly due to differences in cultural traditions, and that Professor You's research has opened up a new path in this field. Professor Feng Fei noted that research on the dissemination of legal culture is becoming increasingly important, and that employing new technologies and disseminating law through visual arts will become a new theoretical growth point. Associate Professor Wang Mingzhe suggested that visual expression is more communicable than text, and encouraged students to pay attention to and utilize diverse materials in their research to broaden their academic horizons.

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In the open discussion session, students enthusiastically raised questions on topics such as the impact of art's participation in social governance on the distance between law and the people, and the timing, field, and effects of visual communication. Professor You Chenjun responded to each question in detail, noting that the interpretation of visual materials must be combined with specific historical contexts and social conditions in order to avoid over-interpretation and misreading.

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At the end of the lecture, Associate Dean Chen Hui delivered a concluding speech. He pointed out that Professor You Chenjun, using a rich array of visual images as material, had built a bridge between visual arts and legal culture—not only expanding the boundaries of research materials in legal scholarship but, more importantly, demonstrating the unique appeal and academic potential of the "law in mind" research approach. He expressed gratitude to Professor You Chenjun for bringing a lecture of both visual impact and theoretical depth to the faculty and students, and also thanked the discussants for their wonderful contributions. The lecture came to a successful close amid warm applause.

 

Text Source: Liao Ruiyi

Image Source: Graduate Student Union, School of Law