Is this how parliament ends – not with a bang but a row about a whisper? | Jonathan Jones

In this image of MPs with John Bercow, the Commons has retreated from the reality of Brexit into form and ritual

It is a superbly theatrical tableau of passion. As MPs harangue the Speaker during this week’s row in the House of Commons over what Jeremy Corbyn did or didn’t say about Theresa May, their gestures and facial expressions are so eloquent and contrived it is hard to believe the picture wasn’t elaborately staged by some great history painter. That is because everyone in this photograph is fluent in a language of gesture and facial expression that goes back to ancient Roman oratory, and was used by artists including Titian, Caravaggio and David to communicate heightened drama.

Related: Jeremy Corbyn to MPs: I did not call Theresa May a 'stupid woman'

Continue reading...