subject: The art of Batik Cloth [print this page] The art of Batik Cloth The art of Batik Cloth
Batik historically is derived from our ancestors, known since 17 century, written and painted on palm leaves.At that time motif or batik pattern was dominated with the form of animals and plants.But in its history, batik has developed from painting motifs of animals and plants gradually turn to the abstract motif that resembles a cloud, temple reliefs, wayang beber and so forth. Furthermore, through the merger of the painting pattern with the art of clothes decoration appears the art of drawing batik as we know it today
The type and style of traditional batik are considered very much, but the pattern and its variations according to the philosophy and culture of each region are very diverse.The Indonesian cultural treasures have prompted the birth the patterns and types of traditional batik with the characteristics of their own specialty.
This time the word batik is already widely known abroad.Both women and men of Indonesia from various tribes like to wear cloth decorated with batik patterns or batik cloth itself, which is made and cut according to taste respectively.The foreign tourists or officials who live in Indonesia delight in batik and often bring to home as souvenirs.
Meaning of the word batik itself , art expert scholars, both Indonesian or foreign nation, have not reached an agreement about what it actually means.Some say that the term comes from the word tik embedded in the word dot (titik).The dot means also drops.Indeed in the making of batik cloth is also done dropping candles on a white cloth.There is also people who search for origin of the word batik in ancient written sources.According to this opinion, the word batik is associated with the word, writing or painting.Thus, the origin of batik is associated also with painting and drawing in general.
In the process of making batik cloth, a craftsman carve beautiful motifs into a piece of unbleached plain cloth by using tjanting containing hot wax.Batik process is done carefully and often a batik craftsmen have carved a series of points to gain an intricate batik motifs.Tool for batik is tjanting.An instrument shaped like a pen and made of bamboo, copper-headed and narrow-mouthed at the edges.This tjanting is used to ladle the hot liquid wax, which is used as a sealing material or a protector of dyes during coloring.At the beginning of the batik making process, a craftsman carves a candle in a white cloth using tjanting.However, before being done motif drawing by carving the hot wax, unbleached plain cloth must be dipped first into the oil plants and soda solution, in order to facilitate a candle to adhere and in order that cloth more easily absorbs the stain.Every time the cloth is given another color, the parts that should not be given stain are covered with wax, so that more and more colors are used to decorate the batik cloth, the longer works to cover them.At the last stage, a layer of wax that covers the cloth is removed by boiling the cloth in boiling water after previously soaked in a solution of soda ash (sodium silicate) to perpetuate the color on batik.As the final result is a piece of batik cloth with beautiful motifs fascinating.
Batik technique actually is thousands of years old.Some experts even say that the technique of batik may originate from the ancient cultures of the nations in Africa, the Middle East (the ancient Sumerians) and several ancient nations in Asia that continues to spread even to Indonesia.The spread of these batik technique and culture can reached Indonesia, apparently thanks to the merchants from India who had visited areas in Indonesia in a few centuries ago.At first batik cloth only was known around the royal palace where batik cloth originally was worn only by nobility and kings.But along with growth, then the next batik cloth was widely known among the people and continued to grow until the present.The amount and type of batik cloth motifs that reaches thousands has a characteristic in each region in Indonesia.Although there are types of batik, but the batik cloth made and painted by using tjanting still occupy the top level of preference and still enthuse by the consumer in the country and overseas.Level of difficulty and complexity and the type of cloth used also influence the selling price.Nowadays batik cloth is not only made from unbleached plain cloth, but also polyester, rayon, to silk.Even batik cloth made of silk, the price can reach thousands dollars..
