(creators unknown, probably commissioned by William the Conqueror; created in either Cantebury, Kent or Beyaux, France). (c.1066 to 82). The Bayeux Tapestry [embroidery, 230' long]. Centre Guillaume le Conquérant, Bayeux, France.

To me, this work carries a lot of the same characteristics of ancient Egyptian art. Forms are abstracted in favor of the surface they’re placed on. A narrative is the foremost creative purpose and all formal choices serve it. Differences between the two styles include subjects that overlap, more enrichment of framing elements and much more variation in perspectives, which are not pictorially consistent. |

Clearly, documenting the Norman Invasion from the victors’ point of view was the purpose behind this work. The narrative must’ve been carefully planned and arranged, due to the extensive effort it took to create. However, figures, patterns and subjects have a certain energy to them which lend me to believe it was built within the “momentum of the workflow”, if you take my meaning. 

Line carries this work. Generally, with some variation, lines are the shapes and they define the framing motifs and letterforms. This work is not meant to “reach out” and grab the observer’s attention through sharp or offensive contrasts or radical formal choices. It is academic, interlacing visuals with text to maximize its communicative utility. The embellishments of monochromatic color and value are nearly muted. However, the seamless melding of pattern and timing is an undeniable strength of this work. 

The consideration of depth is abrupt, and nearly flat. Because shapes have almost no embellishment, I would argue they’re more planar than decorative. Again, the simplicity of this component clears more clutter away from the message. Pictorially, taking in the entire breadth of this work is not reasonable. Area-to-area, which equates to statement-to-statement, elements are distributed in an even, diffuse manner with a horizontal flow. 

Most formal choices relating to balance are meant to bind. Lines and shapes are treated in a similar manner, for example size, but some shapes are defined by line, and all are placed on a color gradient unique to this work: Orange to black, with purity “stops” (browns) in between, and one or two neutrals. The arrangement of the oranges and blacks creates a pleasant, compositionally-strengthening color and value pattern. All forms, including framing decorations and architectural elements, have a figurative feel to them, probably due to the medium. The entire work has a certain life to it, like it is slowly breathing. This is in part due to the slender treatment of all forms, heavy use of line, and generous negative space. 

Framing motifs in the narrow upper- and lower-registers direct the eye to the center register. Elongated figures, simplified forms and vertically-oriented lines mingling in the center register create an even left-to-right pace for the eye to follow and the mind to absorb. The perspective of the viewer is incidental; it bends and is repositioned depending on what the narrative of the individual open cell requires. 
If a single purpose had to be selected for this work, it would be to document and legitimize William the Conqueror’s claim to the English throne after the Norman invasion. The narrative is presented in an arguably ancient style, though with more life and less formal standardization. Illuminative practices of the English, according to the experts, had the most impact on the visual choices that were made. Even today this is a seminal work, not so much for its design, but its undeniable communicative achievement and the extensive effort it took to create.