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Jakarta Post

A historical journey through Batik

Kartini Muljadi did something different to celebrate her 87th birthday: The woman once known as an attorney published a book about her batik collection.

Juliana Harsianti (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Mon, July 3, 2017

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A historical journey through Batik Artwork: A number of high quality batik works are on display during the launch of Kartini Muljadiā€™s latest book. (JP/Juliana Harsianti)

“She has a collection of more than 250 pieces, which are not only batik, but also other valuable [traditional] cloths from all over Indonesia,” said Lucky Wijayanti, a batik expert and researcher who helped Kartini with the book, titled Batik Indonesia, Sepilihan Koleksi Batik Kartini Muljadi (Indonesian Batiks, Kartini Muljadi’s Selected Batik Collection).

Together, they decided to issue Kartini’s selected batik collection first, so they could be more focused on the study and exploration of its significance.

Kartini has her own memories of batik.

“My grandma used to carry me on the hip with a piece of batik,” recalled Kartini.

After her mother’s death, a young Kartini was cared by her grandmother. She vividly remembers her grandmother and many other women around her clad in batiks while engaging in daily routines.

As she grew up, Kartini began to understand the high philosophical value attached to the batik making process.

“Every stroke drawn by a canting [spouted tool used to apply liquid wax] on a cloth is a form of prayer offered by the batik maker,” said Kartini, who remains healthy at her advanced age.

More than just a sheet of fabric, a piece of batik is thus a symbol of love, prayer and hope conveyed by the maker to its future user.

Lucky said Kartini’s batik collection was based on Indonesia’s historical periods, some being very rare and hard to find.

“We can notice reflections of Indonesian history in batik,” he added.

In the Dutch colonial era, Dutch girls also wanted to wear batik like their indigenous counterparts, but European elements blended with local designs.

“The blue-white combination of Delft [in the Netherlands] pottery influenced local batik making,” said the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ) textile lecturer.

More than just a sheet of fabric, a piece of batik is thus a symbol of love, prayer and hope conveyed by the maker to its future user.(JP/Juliana Harsianti)

Flower motifs called buketan were derived from Western bouquets.

Chinese elements also enriched local batik patterns, particularly those originating in coastal regions. They boast bright colors and motifs depicting gods, especially those used by Chinese temples to cover altars.

“One of such altar covers can be found in Kartini’s collection. This type of batik is not available to the general public,” said Lucky, who aimed to show Kartini’s dedication in collecting batik.

The other buketan batik is called Pagi-Sore (morning-afternoon), a design created during the Japanese occupation of Indonesia, with two sides bearing different patterns so that they can be worn on two separate occasions.

“This trick was meant to overcome economic difficulties during the occupation, but again, only those better off could afford to order such batik,” he pointed out.

In addition to Surakarta, Central Java, and coastal batiks, Kartini’s collection also includes products by the late Iwan Tirta.

Iwan was known for his great passion for exploring and developing Indonesian batik by combining traditional and modern motifs. Around 40 pieces produced by Iwan are analyzed according to their patterns and dyeing techniques.

Through this book, Kartini wishes to see the younger generation better acquainted with batik, which is not mere cloths with motifs, but rather, constitute a series of techniques.

“Batik is the entire cloth itself rather than just the motifs, so it’s very important to know how batik is crafted,” said Kartini, describing only handmade and printed batik — as opposed to factory made batik — as genuine.

Triawan Munaf, head of the Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf), said the book compiled by Kartini and her team was a contribution to the younger generation interested in delving into Indonesian culture.

“Through batik, we can examine the various instances of Indonesia’s acculturation,” Triawan said.

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