Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-04-19
JAVANESE ART
OF THE BATIK
POPULAR HERE
BY FREDERIC j. HAsKIN.

this country is prophesied by ]. p.
Neigh, batik maker of this city.
Most of us have seen vivid sam
pies of batik, which we were told
were made by drawing n design on
material with wax and dipping the
piece in dye tc color the part un-
protected by wax. We understood
that this was high Javanese art
and that a taste for it should be
cultivated.
Now. it seems. the most startling
outbursts of color are not necessar-
lily the most admirable. In fact,
they represent an early phase of
American batik makers attempts
at dyeing in the Javanese fashion.
Until recently, Mr.. Neigh says,
the fate of batik in this country
has hung in tina balance. Artists
and connoisSeurs waited to see If
flashy, futurlstic designs. displayed
as typically Javanese batik. would
be replaced by more subtle work.
There was danger, too, OF batik be-
coming a porch fad. like basketry
and bead chains. If this fate were
to befall. and batik were to be
made by persons with no under
standing of technique. color or de-
sign, then the process would be
permanently relegated to the plane
of fancy work. 1t would have its
day of favor and retire.
Luckily for batil1 and its defend
ers, it's production has proved lit
tie too difficult and too exacting to
attract many faddists. Luckily, too,
craftsmen who were turning out
smocks, scarfs and lampshades in
hashed rainbow effects eventually
began to absorb Javanese tradi-
tions, which called for softer colors
and clean cut lines. The success of
our most skilled batikers is indi-
Gated by the fact that they often
receive orders for their work from
abroad.
Crackle Effects Passing.
A recent exhibition of batik
dresses made by a New York artist
was surprise even to some visit
ors who talked learnedly of crackle
effects and admired the right
points in the designs. The thing
that surprised them was that these
dresses were suitable for wear on
the street. In most cases. only the
sleeves were decorated with the
dyed designs, and the clear patterns
in beautiful color combinations
were no more conspicuous than
trimmings of delicately figured
printed silks would have been. THIS,
it was agreed, was a standard fof
American batik.
In this exhibition there was very
little of the popular crackle eftect,
produced by letting the wax on
design crack so that the colors
run through it in thin veins.
Crackle has been so prevalent In
American batiks that many people
regard it as a sure test or real
batik. The Javanese, however, re-
gard cracking of the wax as a
flaw, because it may occur without
the artists wish IL the cloth Is not
handled with care to prevent the
wax from breaking. Javanese
Overs use the effect only occasion
ailv when the design is In colorss
that do not harmonize readily. ana
so used it is undoubtedly artistic.
For centuries. Javanese natives
have been decorating their cloth
ing with painstaking care. using
this method OF wax dyeing. The
method has been often described.
The most important processes are
the waxing of the design and the
dipping. -, 49,,
Ordinarily, a little pipe-like tool
called a ttanting, is used for wax
ing. The bowl of the tJanting Is
filled with melted wax and the IN
strument is guided over the ma
terial so that from tiny spout IN
the bowl wax is poured out in the
lines or figures of the pattern.
Jayanese Process Reversed.
The Javanese dip their materials
in the darker color first. and re-
move a color where 1t is not want
ed by hot water or ammonia. West
ern batikers reverse the process,
making it simpler. If white, yellow
and green are the colors to be USED.
wax is first poured over the part OF
the material which is to be left
white. The piece is then dipped IN
yellow dye. Then that part or the
design which is to remain yellow Is
covered with wax and the goods is
dipped in blue dye to produce
green. The wax is removed py
gasoline. ,., L.o
to the Javenese all the dignity oi
an art. They resent imitatlons anu
do not look with favor on dyeo
patterns produced by speed max
ing contrivances. Even though
similar patterns are used over ana
over. the designers put something
of their own individuality INTO
them.
Some of the old designs are sac
red to certain ranks and are MADE
especially for them. Hunting
scenes, for instance. are reserved
for royalty. such pieces, done py
the best batik makers in Java, are
not simple strips of cloth with
conventionalized stag and hound
repeated at strict intervals. A ba-
tik of this sort often contains only
one large picture and the effect Is
like that of tapestry.
The Jayanese take batik gar
ments as a matter of course. The
work is much cheaper there than
here, and the native clothing -
simple in cut. Strdl5Ht piSSSs ~
cloth in squares and strips of fixed
dimensions are the head dresses,
skirts and scarfs Of Javanese
wardrobe.
The idea of resist dyeing by use
Of wax is very old. The Javanese
are said to have learned the meth
cd from India in the time OF Qua
tama Buddha. rs centuries ago,
1t quickly became popular In Java,
and today Java, rather than India,
is the place associated with the
art. In old. forsaken temples, now
hidden in the jungle of the inte-
rior of the island. carved idols may
be seen portrayed in batik gar
ments and the patterns are very
like those in vogue in Java today.
Presumably, the art was evolved
In India. Yet, on this side of the
world, samples Of batik in typical
Javanese designs have been found
Science is at q loss to explain how
the designs and processes could
have been carried across the ocean
in cockleshell native craft.
Dutch Found Batik.
RN AAsslx Ia.