| It would be impossible to visit or live in Indonesia and not be exposed        to one of the country's most highly developed art forms, batik. On your        first visit to a batik store or factory you will undoubtedly experience        an overwhelming stimulation of the senses - due to the many colors, patterns        and the actual smell of batik. Only through repeated visits and a bit of        study will the types of designs and their origins become apparent.  The          word batik is thought to be derived from the word 'ambatik' which          translated means 'a cloth with little dots'. The suffix 'tik' means          little dot, drop, point or to make dots. Batik may also originate from          the Javanese word 'tritik' which describes a resist process for          dying where the patterns are reserved on the textiles by tying and sewing          areas prior to dying, similar to tie dye techniques. Another Javanese          phase for the mystical experience of making batik is “mbatik          manah” which means “drawing a batik design on the heart”.         A Brief History         Although experts disagree as to 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. Samples have also been found in Turkey,          India, China, 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 intricate 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 it's 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 sense 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 waxings was left          to court artisans who would work under their supervision.         Javanese royalty were known 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 dalang (puppeteer)          not only was responsible for the wayang puppets but was also  an          important source of batik patterns. Wayang puppets are usually made of          goat skin, which is then perforated and painted to create the illusion          of clothing on the puppet. Used puppets were often sold to eager ladies          who used the puppets as guides for their batik patterns. They would blow          charcoal through the holes that define the patterns of clothing on the          puppets, in order to copy the intricate designs onto the cloth.         Other scholars 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 an important part of a young ladies accomplishment          that she be capable of handling a canting (the pen-like instrument          used to apply wax to the cloth) with a reasonable amount of skill, certainly          as important as cookery and other housewifery arts to Central Javanese          women.         Selection and Preparation of the Cloth         Natural materials 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 high thread count so that the intricate          design qualities of batik can be maintained.          The          cloth that is used for batik is washed and boiled in water many times          prior to the application of wax so that all traces of starches, lime,          chalk and other sizing materials are removed. Prior to the implementation          of modern day techniques, the cloth would have been pounded with a wooden          mallet or ironed to make it smooth and supple so it could best receive          the wax design. With the finer machine-made cotton available today, the          pounding or ironing processes can be omitted. Normally men did this step          in the batik process.
         Strict industry standards differentiate the different qualities of          the cloth used today, which include Primissima (the best) and Prima. The          cloth quality is often written on the edge of the design. A lesser quality          cloth which is often used in Blaco.         Design Tools         Although the art form of batik is very intricate, the tools that are          used are still very simple. The canting, believed to be a purely          Javanese invention, is a small thin wall spouted copper container (sometimes          called a wax pen) that is connected to a short bamboo handle. Normally          it is approximately 11 cm. in length. The copper container is filled with          melted wax and the artisan then uses the canting to draw the design          on the cloth.         Canting have different sizes of spouts (numbered to correspond          to the size) to achieve varied design effects. The spout can vary from          1 mm in diameter for very fine detailed work to wider spouts used to fill          in large design areas. Dots and parallel lines may be drawn with canting          that have up to 9 spouts. Sometimes a wad of cotton is fastened over          the mouth of the canting or attached to a stick that acts as a          brush to fill in very large areas.         For close-up pictures of canting.         Wajan          The          wajan is the container that holds the melted wax. It looks like          a small wok. Normally it is made of iron or earthenware. The wajan          is placed on a small brick charcoal stove or a spirit burner called          an 'anglo'. The wax is kept in a melted state while the artisan          is applying the wax to the cloth.
         Wax         Different kinds and qualities of wax are used in batik. Common waxes          used for batik consist of a mixture of beeswax, used for its malleability,          and paraffin, used for its friability. Resins can be added to increase          adhesiveness and animal fats create greater liquidity.          The          best waxes are from the Indonesian islands of Timor, Sumbawa and Sumatra;          three types of petroleum-based paraffin (white, yellow and black) are          used. The amounts mixed are measured in grams and vary according to the          design. Wax recipes can be very closely guarded secrets. Varying colors          of wax make it possible to disguise different parts of the pattern through          the various dying stages. Larger areas of the pattern are filled in with          wax that is cheaper quality and the higher quality wax is used on the          more intricately detailed sections of the design.
         The wax must be kept at the proper temperature. A wax that is too          cool will clog the spout of the canting. A wax that is too hot will flow          too quickly and be uncontrollable. The artisan will often blow into the          spout of the canting before applying wax to the cloth in order to clear          the canting of any obstructions.         Cap          Creating          batik is a very time consuming craft. To meet growing demands and make          the fabric more affordable to the masses, in the mid-19th century the          . cap. (copper stamp - pronounced chop) was developed. This invention          enabled a higher volume of batik production compared to the traditional          method which entailed the tedious application of wax by hand with a canting.
         Each cap is a copper block that makes up a design unit. Cap          are made of 1.5 cm wide copper stripes that are bent into the shape          of the design. Smaller pieces of wire are used for the dots. When complete,          the pattern of copper strips is attached to the handle.         The cap must be precisely made. This is especially true if          the pattern is to be stamped on both sides of the fabric. It is imperative          that both sides of the cap are identical so that pattern will be          consistent.         Sometimes cap are welded between two grids like pieces of copper          that will make a base for the top and the bottom. The block is cut in half at the center so the pattern on each          half is identical. Cap vary in size and shape depending on the          pattern they are needed for. It is seldom that a cap will exceed          24 cm in diameter, as this would make the handling too difficult.         Men usually handle the application of wax using cap. A piece          of cloth that involves a complicated design could require as many as ten          sets of cap. The usage of cap, as opposed to canting, to          apply the wax has reduced the amount of time to make a cloth.         Today, batik quality is defined by cap or tulis, the          second meaning hand-drawn designs which use a canting, or kombinasi,          a combination of the two techniques.         Dyes         Traditional colors for Central Javanese batik were made from natural          ingredients and consisted primarily of beige, blue, brown and black.         The oldest color that was used in traditional batik making was blue.          The color was made from the leaves of the Indigo plant. The leaves were          mixed with molasses sugar and lime and left to stand overnight. Sometimes          sap from the Tinggi tree was added to act as a fixing agent. Lighter blue          was achieved by leaving the cloth in the dye bath for short periods of          time. For darker colors, the cloth would be left in the dye bath for days          and may have been submerged up to 8 - 10 times a day.         In traditional batik, the second color applied was a brown color called          soga. The color could range from light yellow to a dark brown.          The dye came from the bark of the Soga tree. Another color that was traditionally          used was a dark red color called mengkuda. This dye was created          from the leaves of the Morinda Citrifolia.         The final hue depended on how long the cloth was soaked in the dye          bath and how often it was dipped. Skilled artisans can create many variations          of these traditional colors. Aside from blue, green would be achieved          by mixing blue with yellow; purple was obtained by mixing blue and red.          The soga brown color mixed with indigo would produce a dark blue-black          color.         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 generations. 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 patterns called pola. Another method of tracing          a pattern onto a cloth is by laying the cloth on a glass table that is          illuminated from below which casts a shadow of the pattern onto the cloth.          The shadow is then traced with 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 then 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 mat 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 cool          and harden. The wax is heated in the wajan until it is of the desired          consistency. The artisan then dips her canting into the wax to 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 not 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. True tulis batik is reversible,          as the pattern should be identical on both sides.         The most experienced artisans normally do first waxings. Filling in          of large areas may be entrusted to less experienced artisans. Mistakes          are very difficult to correct. If wax is accidentally spilt 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 end is used to try and lift          off the remaining wax. Spilled wax can never be completely removed so          it is imperative that the 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          is 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 has 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 a          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 a marble effect is desired, the wax is intentionally cracked before          being placed in the dye bath. The dye seeps into the tiny cracks that          create the fine 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.         Special Treatments         Prada or Gold Cloth         For special occasions, batik was formerly decorated with gold lead          or gold dust. This cloth is known as Prada cloth. Gold leaf was used in          the Jogjakarta and Surakarta area. The Central Javanese used gold dust          to decorate their Prada cloth. It was applied to the fabric using a handmade          glue consisting of egg white or linseed oil and yellow earth. The gold          would remain on the cloth even after it had been washed. The gold could          follow the design of the cloth or could take on its own design. Older          batiks could be given a new look by applying gold to them. Gold decorated          cloth is still made today; however, gold paint has replaced gold dust          and leaf.         Batik Designs         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 powers 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 designs 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 patterns of natural forms or imitations of a woven texture.          Nitik is the most famous design illustrating this effect.         Certain areas are known 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 hundreds of 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 dots. 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 a general name for a whole series of geometric designs 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 effect is 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 meanings 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 motifs          call mlinjon. 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 woodcarving and as ornamentation          on gamelan musical instruments.
         Washing Batik         Harsh chemical detergents, dryers and drying of fabrics in the sun          may fade the colors in batik. Traditionally dyed batiks should be washed          in soap for sensitive fabrics, such as Woolite, Silky or Halus. Fine batik          in Indonesia is washed with the lerak fruit which can be purchased          at most traditional markets. A bottled version of this detergent is also          available at batik stores. Be sure to line dry batik in a shady area and          not in direct sunlight.         Modern Batik         Modern batik, although having strong ties to traditional batik, utilizes          linear treatment of leaves, flowers and birds. These batiks tend to be          more dependent on the dictates of the designer rather than the stiff guidelines          that have guided traditional craftsmen. This is also apparent in the use          of color that modern designers use. Artisans are no  longer          dependent on traditional (natural) dyes, as chemical dyes can produce          any color that they wish to achieve. Modern batik still utilizes canting          and cap to create intricate designs.         Fashion designers such as Iwan Tirta have aggressively introduced          batik into the world fashion scene. They have done much to promote the          Indonesian art of batik dress, in its traditional and modern forms.         The horizon of batik is continuing to widen. While the design process          has remained basically the same over the last century, the process shows          great progress in recent decades. Traditionally, batik was sold in 2 1/4          meter lengths used for kain panjang or sarong in traditional          dress. Now, not only is batik used as a material to clothe the human body,          its uses also include furnishing fabrics, heavy canvas wall hangings,          tablecloths and household accessories. Batik techniques are used by famous          artists to create batik paintings which grace many homes and offices.         Fine quality handmade batik is very expensive and the production of          such works is very limited. However, in a  world          that is dominated by machines there is an increasing interest in materials          that have been handmade. Batik is one of these materials.         During your stay in Indonesia, take advantage of your time here to          learn more about the fascinating world of batik. Have a batik dress or          men's business shirt made for you by a seamstress or tailor.          Visit batik factories in Jogjakarta, Surakarta or Pekalongan to see for          yourself how the intricate process is conducted or ask questions of batik          artisans giving demonstrations in stores such as Sarinah or Pasaraya in          Jakarta. You will come away with sense of wonder over the time, effort          and patience put into the creation of each batik cloth. You too may soon          grow to love the distinctive waxy smell of batik and your batik acquisitions          will provide many memories of your stay in Indonesia. Your support of          the batik industry will also ensure that this art form grows to even greater          peaks. |