Most peoplehave heard of Batik but several are not really aware of the process of batik or the story behind the origins of batik. Batik clothing is an antique craft dating back centuries and relates to hand drawing or hand painting involving wax. Wax-resist dyeing is the meaning of the art of historical batik.
Wax is painted on to the fabric and the color is filled into the fabric between the wax. The instrument stated as used for this particular art form in Javanese cultures was called a canting. This is an item in design similar to a pen that was used to apply the design with the wax directly to the fabric. The wax is placed to stop the color running through to the next color of the design.
The wax is then later washed from the cloth leaving just the color hence the white lines you will always see on batik. There are then of course a type of designs which are sold as batik but are actually made using more traditional methods and while the look may be similar they aren’t in fact original or true batik.
Batik is considered a traditional art in a lot of Asian countries. In Javanese the description of the word Batik is writing with wax. In Indonesia for example there are traditional batik colors mostly darker shades of indigo, dark brown, white and violet, which are used in representation of four main Hindu Gods. Other countries in Asia, as stated, are also traditionally using batik techniques, such as India, Sri Lanka, Iran, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Burma etc. There is also some West African countries like Ghana, Cameroon and Uganda among others that also use batik all of which will be in varying degrees of the same original historical form of batik.
Many Javanese temples also have attractive stone statues sculptured on their walls however confirmed historical proof of these designs being batik is as yet to be determined. They could in fact have been created using a weaving technique rather than the traditional batik. No doubt in the future there will be proof of these facts and it will be clear which traditional and historical art form was used in the making of these wonderful designs.
It’s also said that there were specific Batik designs that were created for Javanese royalty and these particular designs can only be damaged by royalty whilst other regions in Indonesia offer their own designs exclusive to their region. There are others however who deny that batik was meant for royalty alone and that it was a form of art created for all people.
Thanks to transformation you are easily able to buy baju batik (Indonesian). Whether it is traditional or not you now have the tools to check for yourself. If the artist is not willing to demonstrate you how they are creating the designs then it is in all likelihood that they are using a modernized form of batik and therefore while still beautiful you will not be purchasing a traditional bajubatik. Therefore just because the price of a particular kaos batik is maybe more than another it doesn’t also mean that it is original.