The Bayeux Tapestry (Getlein and Gilbert 355) is one of the most prominent artworks of the Middle Ages in Europe. The tapestry depicts the Norman conquest of England in 1066 A.D.. This artwork is actually not a tapestry but rather embroidery, as the rich details were embroidered on the cloth rather than "woven" in. The tapestry is an astonishing 231 feet long and depicts seventy-two separate scenes that describe the events that led up to the conquest of England. The tapestry is to "read" like a book from left to right. The tapestry vividly depicts battle scenes with soldiers and horses tumbling and falling and dead bodies being piled up.
Besides its sheer size and artistic mastery, the tapestry is culturally very significant. For one, it depicts an important historic event. More importantly though is the fact that the tapestry tells a story and makes history thus accessible even to people who could not read, which was the majority of the population. Thus, the tapestry fulfilled an important cultural function.
The depiction of this historical scene although very detail oriented is not realistic. This of course has to do with the medium of representation but also with the way the bodies of the soldiers and horses are depicted. The proportions and body shapes are rather unrealistic and it is fair to say that the organizing principle of the tapestry focuses on creating a narrative rather than realistically depicting scenery or landscape.
In contrast, Renaissance art chose a slightly different emphasis and mode of representation. This, however, is not to say that Renaissance art did not try to create narratives. Campin's Altarpiece (Getlein and Gilbert 376), for example, is rich in details, that suggest a certain narrative. The white lilies on the table for example, signify on Mary's innocence, whereas the right side of the panel shows Joseph making a mousetrap, suggesting that Jesus will soon "trap" the dev...