By Emily Schultz
The process
of Batik is an ancient one. It can be found in countries all over the world,
dating as far back as the fourth century B.C.. Its place of origin is highly
debated, and each area that developed the technique developed it slightly
differently. Places such as Indonesia, India, China, and countries throughout Africa have a highly
developed batik culture and history.
In Indonesia, batik patterns were
very symbolic. There were certain visual symbols connected with bringing luck to infants and brides. There were also certain
patterns reserved for royal families in order to display the rank of a person.
Originally, Indian batik was primarily used to decorate dresses. Today, however, it can be found on household linens, paintings, and other various items. Modern Indian batik is much brighter and livelier than it once was.
In China, batik was primarily used
with Indigo dye, giving their pieces rich blue and white hues. Like the
Indonesians, a lot of their patterns were highly symbolic, using imagery such
as dragons, flowers, and phoenixes.
The Dutch imported batik into
Africa. There, they initially used a paste made from mud instead of wax. In
Africa, batik was a form of communication; it was used to announce events and ideas like marriages and political beliefs.
Through school, I was lucky enough
to have the opportunity to learn the wax-resist process and have begun to
incorporate it into my own art. I have worked traditionally in the medium, as
well experimented with combining batik with other materials. Here you can
see an example of my work at different stages in the process.
This picture was taken when I had
begun to lay down the wax. You can see the wax drawing tool and the burner for
melting the wax to the left of the stretched fabric.
Here you can see the initial colors
that have been put down in the sunflowers. After the flowers were colored
completely, they were covered in a layer of wax in order to prepare the piece
for the background color.
Lastly, the piece was dipped in a
solid color to give it the background color. After this step, all that is left
is the removal of the wax.
Unfortunately, the art of batiking is a dying art.
Due to the abilities and speed of machines, the practice of batiking has become
even scarcer over the years. However, no machine could surpass the beauty and
the skill of the batiking process. I highly recommend trying your hand at
batik. It is equally exciting as it is relaxing to create, and you could aid in the
preservation of this traditional art form.
Emily Schultz is a current student at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). This semester she will be studying abroad in Florence, Italy at the Studio Art Centers International Florence (SACI). When Emily is not making art, she loves hiking, knitting, and hanging out with friends. You can follow Emily on Instagram and Tumblr, or check out her work on her website at www.emilylynnschultz.com
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