Cloth, Batik

Hiasan dinding

Creative Patterns

Batik is art. Instead of using a canvas, the artwork is created on fabric. When synthetic colours were first introduced in Indonesia from Europe at the end of the 19th century, many artists felt encouraged to play with the new colours and develop new motifs. Chinese, Dutch and Arab immigrants established new batik workshops at the seaports along the north coast of Java. The patterns were influenced and adapted according to their cultural heritage, leading to new motifs, new regionally typical colour combinations, and new dyeing methods. The names of these batik designs correspond to where they were made, such as Pekalongan, Kedungwuni, Lasem and Cirebon.
Batik is always changing. There is no limit to creativity. Many motifs even show European influence as a result of European magazines or postcards. Another novelty was the signature of batik makers on finished cloths. The “pesisiran style” was born in contrast to the traditional “kraton style” (palace style) from the country’s interior regions.