Expertise from Indonesia
Although experts disagree as the precise origins
of batik, samples of dye resistance patterns on cloth can be traced back 1,500
years ago to Egypt and the Middle East. Sample have also been found in Turkeys,
India, Chine, Japan and West Africa from past centuries. Although in these
countries people were using the technique of dye resisting decoration, within
the textile realm, none have developed batik to its present day art form as the
highly developed intricate batik found on the island of Java in Indonesia.
Although there is mention of "fabrics highly decorated" in Dutch transcripts
from the 17th century, most scholars believe that the interactive Javanese
batik designs would only have been possible after the importation of finely
woven imported cloth, which was first imported to Indonesia from India around
the 1800s and afterwards from Europe beginning in 1815. Textile patterns can be
seen on stone statues that are carved on the walls of ancient Javanese temples
such as Prambanan (AD 800), however there is no conclusive evidence that the
cloth is batik. It could possibly be a pattern that was produced with weaving
techniques and not dying. What is clear is that in the 19th century batik
became highly developed and was well ingrained in Javanese cultural life.
Some experts feel that batik was originally reserved as an art form for
Javanese royalty. Certainly its royal nature was clear as certain patterns were
reserved to be worn only by royalty from the Sultan's palace. Princesses and
noble women may have provided the inspiration for the highly refined design
senses evident in traditional patterns. It is highly unlikely though that they
would be involved in any more than the first wax application. Most likely, the
messy work of dyeing and subsequent waxing was left to court artisans who would
work under their supervision.
Javanese royalty were know to be great patrons of the arts and provided the
support necessary to develop many art forms, such as silver ornamentation,
wayang kulit (leather puppets) and gamelan orchestras. In some cases the art
forms overlap. The Javanese's dalang (puppeteer) not only was responsible for
the wayang puppets but was also an important source of batik patterns. They
would blow charcoal trough the holes that define the patterns of clothing on
the puppets, in order to copy the intricate designs onto the cloth.
Other scholar disagree that batik was only reserved as an art form for royalty,
as they also feel its use was prevalent with the rakyat, the people. It was
regarded and important part of a young ladies accomplishment that she be
capable of as important as cookery and other housewifery arts to Central
Javanese women.
Selection and Preparation of the Cloth
Natural material such as cotton or silk are used for the cloth, so that it can
absorb the wax that is applied in the dye resisting process. The fabrics must
be of a high thread count (densely woven). It is important that cloth of high
quality have this thread count so that the intricate design qualities of batik
can be maintained.
Design Process
The outline of the pattern is blocked out onto the cloth, traditionally with
charcoal or graphite. Traditional batik designs utilize patterns handed down
over the generation. It is very seldom that an artisan is so skilled that he
can work from memory and would not need to draw an outline of the pattern
before applying the wax. Often designs are traced from stencils or pattern
called pola. Another method of tracing a pattern onto a cloth is by laying the
cloth on a glass a pencil. In large batik factories today, men usually are in
charge of drawing the patterns onto the cloth.
Waxing
Once the design is drawn out onto the cloth it is the ready to be waxed. Wax is
applied to the cloth over the areas of the design that the artisan wishes to
remain the original color of the cloth. Normally this is white or cream.
Female workers sit on a low stool or on a matt to apply the wax with a canting.
The fabric that they are working on is draped over light bamboo frames called
gawangan to allow the freshly applied wax to coll and harden. The wax is heated
in the wajan until it is of desired consistency. The artisan then dips her
canting into the wax fill the bowl of the canting.
Artisans use the wax to retrace the pencil outline on the fabric. A small drop
cloth is kept on the woman's lap to protect her from hot dripping wax. The stem
of the canting is held with the right hand in a horizontal position to prevent
any accidental spillage, which greatly reduces the value of the final cloth.
The left hand is placed behind the fabric for support. The spout does no touch
the fabric, but it held just above the area the artisan is working on. To
ensure the pattern is well defined, batik is waxed on both sides. Trues tulis
batik is reversible, as the pattern should be identical on both sides.
The most experienced artisans normally do first waxing. Filling in of large
areas may be entrusted to less experienced artisans. Mistakes are very
difficult to correct. If wax is accidentally split on the cloth, the artisan
will try to remove the unwanted wax by sponging it with hot water. Then a
heated iron rod with a curved and is used to try and lift off the remaining
wax. Spilled wax can never be completely removed so it is imperative that
artisans are very careful. If the cap method is utilized, this procedure is
normally done by men. The cap are dipped into melted wax. Just under the
surface of the melted wax is a folded cloth approximately 30 centimeters
square. When this cloth it saturated with wax it acts like a stamp pad. The cap
is pressed into the fabric until the design side of the cap is coated with wax.
The saturated cap is then stamped onto the fabric, leaving the design of the
cap. This process is repeated until the entire cloth is covered. Often cap and
canting methods are combined on the same piece of cloth. Better quality batik
may be waxed utilizing canting in one part of Indonesia and then sent to
another part of Indonesia where the cap part of the process is completed. On
better quality cap fabric great care is taken to match the pattern exactly.
Lower grade batik is characterized by overlapping lines or lightened colored
lines indicating the cap was not applied correctly.
Dyeing
After the initial wax been applied, the fabric is ready for the first dye bath.
Traditionally dying was done in earthenware tubs. Today most batik factories
use large concrete vats. Above the vats are ropes with pulleys that the fabric
is draped over after it has been dipped into the dye bath. The waxed fabric is
immersed in the dye bath of the first color. The amount of time it is left in
the bath determines the hue of the color; darker colors require longer periods
or numerous immersions. The fabric is then put into a cold water bath to harden
the wax.
When the desired color has been achieved and the fabric has dried, wax is
reapplied over the areas that the artisan wishes to maintain the first dye
color or another color at a later stage in the dying process. When an area that
has been covered with wax previously needs to be exposed so that it can be
dyed, the applied wax is scraped away with small knife. The area is then
sponged with hot water and resized with rice starch before it is re-immersed in
the subsequent dye bath.
If marble effect is desired, the wax is intentionally cracked before being
placed in the dya bath. The dye seeps into the tiny cracks that create the file
lines that are characteristic of batik. Traditionally, cracks were a sign of
inferior cloth especially on indigo color batik. On brown batik, however, the
marble effect was accepted. The number of colors in batik represents how many
times it was immersed in the dye bath and how many times wax had to be applied
and removed. A multicolored batik represents a lot more work that a single or
two-color piece. Numerous dye processes are usually reflected in the price of
the cloth. Nowadays, chemical dyes have pretty much replaced traditional dyes,
so colors are endless and much more liberally used.
Batik Design
Although there are thousands of different batik designs, particular designs
have traditionally been associated with traditional festivals and specific
religious ceremonies. Previously, it was thought that certain cloth had
mystical power to ward off ill fortune, while other pieces could bring good
luck. Certain batik designs are reserved for brides and bridegrooms as well as
their families. Other design are reserved for the Sultan and his family or
their attendants. A person's rank could be determined by the pattern of the
batik he/she wore. In general, there are two categories of batik design:
geometric motifs (which tend to be the earlier designs) and free form designs,
which are based on stylized pattern of natural forms or imitation of a woven
texture. Nitik is the most famous design illustrating this effect. Certain
areas are know for a predominance of certain designs. Central Javanese designs
are influenced by traditional patterns and colors. Batik from the north coast
of Java, near Pekalongan and Cirebon, have been greatly influenced by Chinese
culture and effect brighter colors and more intricate flower and cloud designs.
High fashion designs drawn on silk are very popular with wealthy Indonesians.
These exceptionally high-quality pieces can take months to create and costs
hundred off dollars.
Kawung
Kawung is another very old design consisting of intersecting circles, known in
Java since at least the thirteenth century. This design has appeared carved
into the walls of many temples throughout Java such as Prambanan near
Jogjakarta and Kediri in East Java. For many years, this pattern was reserved
for the royal court of the Sultan of Jogjakarta. The circles are sometimes
embellished inside with two or more small crosses or other ornaments such as
intersecting lines or doors. It has been suggested that the ovals might
represent flora such as the fruit of the kapok (silk cotton) tree or the aren
(sugar palm)
Ceplok
Ceplok is general name for a whole series of geometric design based on squares,
rhombs, circles, stars, etc. Although fundamentally geometric, ceplok can also
represent abstractions and stylization of flowers, buds, seeds and even
animals. Variations in color intensity can create illusions of depth and the
overall effects are not unlike medallion patterns seen on Turkish tribal rugs.
The Indonesian population is largely Muslim, a religion that forbids the
portrayal of animal and human forms in a realistic manner. To get around this
prohibition, the batik worker does not attempt to express this matter in a
realistic form. A single element of the form is chosen and then that element is
repeated again and again in the pattern.
Parang
Parang was once used exclusively by the royal courts of Central Java. It has
several suggested meaning such as 'rugged rock', 'knife pattern' or 'broken
blade'. The Parang design consists of slanting rows of thick knife-like
segments running in parallel diagonal bands. Parang usually alternated with
narrower bands in a darker contrasting color. These darker bands contain
another design element, a line of lozenge-shaped motif call mlijon. There are
many variations of this basic striped pattern with its elegant sweeping lines,
with over forty parang designs recorded. The most famous is the 'Parang Rusak'
which in its most classical form consisting of rows of softly folded parang.
This motif also appears in media other than batik, including wood carving and
as ornamentation on gamelan mucosal instruments.
