Batik Paintings

Batik paintings are a unique form of art in which various figures and patterns are drawn on pieces of fabrics. The place where this kind of painting originated is Indonesia. The word Batik, which has been derived from the word ‘Ambatik’, is Indonesian in its origin. The original word basically meant dots on clothes and Batik refers to the wax-resist dye technique that is used in textiles. The art of Batik painting is considered to be more than a 1000 years old. Along with countries like Sri Lanka, Iran and Thailand, India also has a rich tradition of Batik paintings.

 

The technique of Batik painting involves great precision and concentration along with some level of expertise. The specific areas of a textile or cloth are covered with a dye resistant substance such as wax. This prevents that area on the cloth from absorbing the color. Due to this procedure, the cloth is able to look absolutely exquisite with beautiful patterns forming where there is no wax, interspersed with empty spaces. The patterns on the cloth are drawn and not weaved, which gives the artist much more scope to exhibit his creativity. The technique of applying the wax on specific areas, keeping in mind the design, is very essential to have a beautiful end-product.

 

Designs and Themes
Batik Paintings are known for their durability and many such fabrics are stitched into shirts, skirts and sarongs. The colors range from bright ones like yellow, orange and red to dark ones like blue, purple and brown. Batik is also seen in different hues of a single color like green or a combination of two colors like blue and green or yellow and orange. There is a huge selection of themes that are used in Batik Paintings. The most popular ones being religious themes and abstract patterns. Many Batik paintings portray images of Gods, Goddesses, religious events from epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana, natural patterns like flowers, vines and leaves and also abstract patterns. In India, Batik painting is famous in Tamil Nadu, Orissa, and West Bengal.