Bayeux Tapestry Meaning

What does it mean to be at war? Some will tell you that it’s when different nations are fighting against each other, and others will say it’s when the military is really needed. Although these answers may be true, being at war doesn’t mean just that. Being at war is much more, and it requires a more in-depth answer than just saying what we already know. Two pieces of artwork that can help us understand the meaning of being at war can be found in the Bayeux Tapestry by Bishop Odo, and the Portable War Memorial by Edward Kienholz. These works of art attempt to impact and acknowledge the memory of war by showing you before, during, and after a war. They take different aspects of war itself, and through different perspectives and artistic designs, they
transform it into something else that can be interpreted in a number of ways.
Lastly, they show a cultural response to war by focusing on the Battle of Hastings and World War II in their works. To begin, the Bayeux Tapestry attempts to impact the memory of war by showing you a narrative of the events leading up to the Norman Conquest, and the Battle of Hastings itself. The patron, Bishop Odo, depicts the battle through three horizontal spaces. The middle space is used to place the major events of the battle, while the top and bottom portions are used to include animals, people, and hunting from Aesop’s Fables. At times, these top and bottom parts are used to draw attention to key parts in the middle piece. This narrative is divided into seventy-five parts, and is about two-hundred and thirty inches long. Also, it is considered a tapestry, but despite of this, it isn’t a “true” tapestry
because the images are embroidered instead of woven in. The material itself is important as the historical story it shows, because it allows a visualization of eleventh-century textiles not seen today. The artists, though not known, were most likely Anglo-Saxon embroiders who were widely known for their needlework, shown in parts of the tapestry. The tapestry shows great example of small details, although childish, of things that were used back then. Additionally, the bloody and brutal depiction shows the Norman pride as William the Conqueror captures England. The memory of war this piece leaves behind shows that war is a long and brutal process, that is not always ended with victory. It shows how much effort and hardship goes through with the battles and the events that cause these wars. Lastly, it shows that war isn’t pretty; it is gory, violent, unwelcoming, but it shows the loyalty and the pride the Normans have in successfully winning a war. Secondly, the Portable War Memorial attempts to impact the memory of war by showing the aftermath of V.D. Day ending World War II. This piece includes several different pieces incorporated into one to tell a seemingly realistic and flowing depiction of the past, present, and future. The past is shown through the six soldiers carrying the U.S. flag at Iwo Jima, the “I Want You” World War I poster, and the blackboard tombstone showing the four-hundred and sixty-five historic countries that had their boundaries erased from the map. The present is shown through the clock, the coke machine, and the “Hot Dogs, Chili” stand with the eating couple. And, the future is shown by the woman wax head, and the man hiding in the garbage can. All these symbols show how a war affects everything and everybody-- not just the present. The past is affected through the constant reminders and propaganda of the previous wars and battle, and the future is affected by the increase of fear and dismay in what could come in the years to come. Furthermore, this message is brought together ultimately by the mechanics, the material, and the hue of the work itself. The working clock, coke machine, and tape show the amount of thought and effort put to make this art more interactive and narrative to its viewers. The metal and stone medium adds to the intensity of the gray-scale colors that gives the piece more of a grave and sad feel to it. The lack of lighting, or color in general adds to the memory-like perspective you get from looking at this piece. It sucks you into a world where nothing is certain, and where nothing is everlasting. Lastly, the Bayeux Tapestry and the Portable War Memorial reflect a cultural response to to the Battle at Hastings and World War II by taking the victories that emerged from there and transforming them into two different narratives that show different perspectives of war. The Bayeux Tapestry shows a more brutal and bloody side of the Battle at Hastings, while the Portable War Memorial shows the peaceful and dull side of World War II. In addition, the Bayeux Tapestry emphasizes the before and during of a war, whilst the Portable War Memorial concentrates on the past, present, and future idea. Both these works are very different in almost everything. The Portable War Memorial is a stone and metal, gray-scale and dark piece that is more realistic and precise than the Bayeux Tapestry, where it is a long, wool piece of work that is colorful and very childish in nature. Ultimately, even though these works are widely dissimilar, they show the different cultural perspective on war based on their time periods, battles, and artistic components and details. In conclusion, the Bayeux Tapestry and the Portable War Memorial are both historically different pieces of work that focus on impacting the memory of war through the before, during, and after perspectives, along with past, present, and future components. They reflect a cultural response to the Battle at Hastings and World War II by taking the victories and turning them into different ideas and viewpoints of war, and by showing how it affected those around them. Now that you’ve seen both of these works, what do you think it means to be at war with another nation, what is your memory of war?