Executive Summary About Batik History by Blaine F Johnston
Indonesia is a multicultural country which consists of thousand islands and tribes. The differences of demography and geography cause cultural differences, including the outfits worn by each tribe.
In some occasions, Indonesian may wear their traditional outfits, such as kebaya, baju kurung, ulos, etc. But when they come to national events, batik talks much. The handmade ones do need long time of painting, but the printed ones need shorter time.
Years ago, batik was only worn in formal occasions.
At that time, Indonesian tend to choose batik instead of tuxedo or other formal outfits. In some families, Batik is even considered as a tradition. It is like their identity, since the motifs can even show their economical status. Batik is probably the most unique outfit you have ever known.
The Meaning of Batik
Executive Summary About Batik History by Alvin Titus
In my discussions with friends and general public, many people have mistaken batik with batik design/ batik designs or even batik fabric.
History has it that batik is an old craft that dates centuries back. Batik is actually a hand-drawn and hand-painted technique, which uses wax.
the motif of a flower (a yellow flower with a green stalk).
The artist will first draw the outline of the motif (ie. the flower & stalk) with wax. Finally, he paints the blue background.
However as mentioned earlier, a lot of people mistake batik with batik design/ batik designs especially if they see a traditional or floral type motif, or patterns on a cloth that have white outlines. So my suggestion to you that if you appreciate art, and batik in particular, first be aware whether the fabric you buy really comes from the batik art. And secondly to be open minded to embrace the change in modern times that batik need not necessary relate just to old motif/ patterns.
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