Brief history of batik as a technique

Man has always, from the earliest times of his existence, sought to beautify the world around him. In the course went everything that could only slightly change the objects, the environment surrounding it. стория батика рассказывает как раз об этом. And the Batik story tells just about that.

Batik - drawing on cloth

To paint a person a man has always learned, once he has learned to weave or knit canvases. Of course, batik is an art, and not a utilitarian necessity to diversify life, and it can be very subtle and elegant, requiring a master of great skill in this interesting technique.

Technical features of batik

Despite the development of technology, materials, handmade art of batik is still relevant and in demand. It is used as an independent kind of art and as a way of decorating textile things - clothes, shawls, curtains, theatrical scenes. The very word "batik" comes from the ancient Indian "drop of wax". And it was wax that was originally used as a basis for partial staining of the fabric for obtaining patterns and ornaments. And this material is still used in the technique of hot batik. The very technology of dyeing fabrics in the art of batik has several directions, which unites one principle - reservation, that is, the protection of individual sections of the canvas in order to preserve their color during further staining. This principle is implemented in different ways, depending on the technique of the batik.

In addition to the technical side, the batik has its own artistic features, because its uniqueness is a combination of many kinds of fine arts. Here you can find elements of graphics, watercolors, pastels, even stained glass and mosaics. The art of the batik itself is unique in that it is very easy to master. This is a grateful kind of creativity, because any work in this technique is a unique specimen, which can be refined, if necessary, with additional decorations up to embroidery or applique.

South Asia - the birthplace of the batik

According to historians, the art of dyeing fabrics (batik) in Indonesia was born. "Anbatik" in the local dialect means "draw." Already in those distant times, women sought to decorate their clothes. This, of course, pursued its goals - to emphasize belonging to a certain genus of a particular color scale and patterns. Although there were few dyes, but the art of batik allowed to create multicolored painted dense.

приобрел оттенки охры и цвет индиго - песчаные полутона от густой тени до цвета слоновой кости разбавлялись ярко-синими пятнами высокого неба. In Indonesia, the batik acquired shades of ocher and indigo color - sand semitones from thick shade to ivory were diluted with bright blue spots of high sky. Each kind carefully stored the secrets of preparing color solutions, methods of applying paint, as well as a picture of a batik. On the painted patterned clothes it was possible to tell precisely, to what sort this or that person belongs. Drawings were used various - abstract, graphic ornaments, subject stories. The latter basically served to create canvases for decorating temples.

Indonesia and India, where the art of batik moved smoothly and was called "bandhan", used cotton canvases. The hand-woven fabrics were thoroughly bleached, dried, so that the drawing on them fell as accurately as possible and more evenly. A unique tradition of the peoples of ancient Indonesia and India are cotton cloths, painted in batik technique . The history of the origin of this type of creativity originates in the ancient southeastern states.

Traditions of China and Japan

In the world, everything is interconnected. The arts have been going through complicated ways to different countries, from people to people, taking in something new, unique and transferring the acquisition further and further. . This happened with the technique of batik, the history of the emergence and development of which says that it went through a complicated, amazing way . He gradually turned out to be in demand creativity, and then the finest art of China and Japan. China gave the batik a silk. From this moment, the coloring of fabrics has acquired incredible lightness of colors, or rather, even tones and halftones, so subtle work has been subject to masters of the countries of the East. The beauty of kimono Japanese women went to legends, but few people thought about how such a beautiful fabric turns out.

The Japanese introduced the art of dyeing fabrics, silk in particular, the special technique of the so-called reverse batik, when the fabric was stained and then bleached on the desired areas with alkali. But the art of hot batik, which protected the tissue during the dyeing process with the help of wax, allowed the masters of Japan and China to make this technique a perfect perfection of the art of painting on fabric. Eastern motifs, bright, saturated colors or light semi-colors of colors delighted everyone who could see them.

Industrial Europe and batik

How did the batik from Asia and the East get to Europe? With the help of Dutch travelers who established trade relations with the countries of Southeast Asia. When the Dutch first came to Indonesia, they were impressed by the beauty and uniqueness of the textile decoration of local churches. Unusual drawings on simple cotton fabric interested traders. And they brought the batik technique to Holland, where the whole of Europe learned to paint cotton and silk in such an interesting and unusual technique. But not a century later, as this amazing, but labor-intensive art began to give way to the position invented in England, printed technology. Machines, machine tools, quickly stamped on stretched canvases drawing, the fabrics came out fairly elegant and cheap, so that only those who valued the singularity of this kind of creativity could remember batik and could afford to pay the master. чуть было не закончилась, если бы не кустари-одиночки, сохранившие верность уникальному виду украшения полотен. So the history of the development of batik almost ended, if not for the handicraftsmen, who remained faithful to the unique kind of decoration of canvases.

Russian batik

The history of batik in Russia was a very difficult path, due to the closure of the USSR from most of the world's states. And this art appeared in Russia only at the beginning of the 20th century, when the modernist style entered the fashion - beautiful painted shawls-shawls in oriental motifs, an interesting cut of women's dresses with drawings on it. In addition, this style has taken root only in large cities, the province, this novelty was practically unfamiliar. Artists in the fabric. They did not have the opportunity to learn this craftsmanship, and often they went by experience, which did not contribute to the development of batik's popularity as a way to decorate life.

The only thing in this technique was the theatrical curtains and curtains, the monumentality of which was full of Soviet symbols. Batik as an art form for a long time could not realize himself in Russia for many reasons. But the middle of the 20th century became for this type of cloth painting the starting point in the revival. In a country that was recovering from a terrible war, workshops were organized where the masters of batik and pupils were invited to create beautiful, worthy things for Soviet people. Initially, batik painted handkerchiefs and shawls for women, as well as created decorative panels for the design of public entertainment and cultural institutions.

Theatrical arts

The history of the appearance of the batik (summarized in the article) indicates that this technique has gone through a complicated path. If we reduce it to the appearance, travel on the planet and perfection, then it does not reflect the essence: the batik is a multicomponent art that has absorbed all the most significant things that the countries and nationalities who could love the batik and use it to decorate the world . For example, in Russia batik received his theatrical "education" - he was actively used by masters to create wings and scenic backdrops to various theatrical productions, ballet performances. In the country there was a whole galaxy of masters-baticists who created unique paintings in batik technique, filled with plot, numerous elements, and this is a very delicate, laborious work.

Handmade art

Even if the history of batik is summarized, one can not ignore the art of making shawls and shawls in this technique. In Russia, it was born in the 20 years of the last century as a component of the fashionable trend - modernism. NEP required brightness and pretentiousness, and the batik allowed to decorate shawls with bright drawings of Japanese motifs, which was then the highest point of fashion. Over time, as a result of the circumstances, the batik has lost all the mass destiny, and the handkerchief has almost come to naught. But the second half of the century revived this kind of art, and shawls and shawls once again became canvases for artistic experiments and high-class creative works of batik masters.

Irina Trofimova and others

The history of the origin of the batik, its development in the Soviet Union is inextricably linked with the name of Irina Trofimova. The art of painting on cloth in the Soviet Union developed from scratch, because the masters could not go abroad to get acquainted with the techniques at the site of their inception and development. Only in the second half of the 20th century Irina Trofimova managed to learn these features by visiting workshops abroad, and share her knowledge with other Russian baticists. Irina Trofimova is rightly considered the ancestor of classical batik in our country, her technique of monumental batik has allowed to appear in other directions, each of which is successfully developing now. Masters-baticists of Russia enjoy the deserved authority and respect of their colleagues in the art of batik technique. Bright, original images created with the help of various batik schools fascinate, striking with the skill of the artist.

Cold batik

The history of the emergence of batik technology developed as a single whole over the centuries, but the work itself consists of several directions:

• Hot batik;
• Cold batik;
• Free painting.

The history of cold batik is also unique . It was with him that the development of this technique of painting the fabric began. In ancient Indonesia, the fabrics were painted first in sections, separately from each other, filling the gaps with different colors and shades. They mixed, forming a new color scheme. It was a very complex art, since a damp cloth absorbs the paint well, requiring the master to be extremely careful. Then, in order to prevent unnecessary and poor-quality mixing of the paint on the fabric, a hot batik-"anbatik" was invented - a drop of wax. But the "cold" technology continued its development. Special adhesive compounds, so called reserves, have been developed that prevent the penetration of the coloring material into the fibers of the tissue. Then this dried glue can be easily removed, obtaining unpainted sections of the web.

Hot batik

The art of painting the fabric has received a temperature characteristic not by chance. Hot wax is the basis of this technique. The history of batik in many nationalities, including the silk Japanese painting "rocky", is the development of the technique of hot batik. The heated wax is applied to the fabric, filling entire sections or just outlining the contours, then the wax is scraped off and re-applied to protect the other area from another color. This is a delicate technique that gives amazing results. This is indicated by colorful kimono Japanese women, many of which are still painted in batik technique.

No prohibitions!

But the history of the batik technique is not only the application of border formations to obtain a painted section of the canvas. In batik there is a special technique called free painting. She uses several techniques:

• Watercolor technique, a wet cloth is applied with the help of brushes or spray, spreading and forming color transitions;
• The stencil technique uses a pattern on the fabric through stencils with the help of foam sponges with paint;
• Free graphics that use graphic elements obtained by reserving tissue sections using knots, string bracing and saline solution.

Free painting is an integral part of modern batik art. It is widely used by artisans-amateurs who try to paint cloth at home without special tools and materials. This technique is simple, but allows you to decorate primitive clothes - jeans, T-shirts, T-shirts.

Tools for drawing on fabric

The centuries-old history of batik is the history of the development of materials and tools used in the fabric painting. Masters-baticists have entire arsenals of such means. These are different in width and stiffness, special brushes for paints and glues or waxes, thin glass tubes for applying a backup composition, syringes, sponges, molds, fabric frames, knives, stencils, funnels, plastic or wooden sticks. Tools, if desired, can be bought at specialized craft goods stores.

Safety is important

Despite the fact that batik - is the art of painting on the fabric, while working it is necessary to observe the safety rules. This is due to the tools and materials used in the creative process. The technique of hot batik involves the use of open flames or electric heaters for melting wax. Paints are not always used natural, especially for artisans. The use of chemical dyes and solvents can cause irritation of the skin and mucous membranes or allergies. Batik does not require a protective suit, but still observe the security measures should be rigorously. Carefully you need to work with all the tools, starting with knives and scissors and ending with glass tubes for making a reserve.

The art of batik has not completed its development, new materials and technologies are constantly accompanying the development of all forms of creativity, and batik including. An amazing kind of art makes life much more colorful and brighter with the help of ancient methods and modern masters.