NIQUE IN ART.) Modern Technique and Practice.—Modern technique var ies only a little from that which has been practised in Java for centuries, the chief difference being that the Western artist prefers as a rule to do the application of wax on a horizontal or only slightly inclined table rather than on the rack which is pre ferred in Java. The design is generally sketched in pencil on the material, though some artists trust their ability sufficiently to do it direct with the wax itself. The application of wax is done with an improved type of tjanting or with a brush which may be pointed or wedge-shaped. The brush is usually a good type of water-colour brush made of tapered hairs, because it is necessary constantly to keep a large amount of wax in it, in order to main tain the heat that the wax may flow freely, and yet a fine point is necessary. It has become the practice to dip the brush in wax, touching it very gently to the edge of the pan so as to remove only a little, and then to take a razor blade or sharp knife and carefully trim it to a point. This practice, however, does not always produce a brush capable of the best work, especially where a line of variable width is desired, for when it is allowed to rest a little more heavily while paint ing in order to produce a broader line, the short trimmed hairs are sure to spread unevenly. A different type of brush, preferred by some artists, is one with a wedge-shaped arrangement of hairs. This brush will, when held properly, produce a very fine line, one that can be made broader by the simple turning of the brush in the fingers. Of course, it has the disadvantage that in drawing a fine sharp curve one must learn how to twist it in the fingers in just the right way to keep the line uniform. When a brush is first put in the hot wax the bristles spread into a great bunch and it takes a few mo ments' manipulation to slowly press the air and moisture out so that it will resume its natural form. This process should be done slowly and with care, as it determines the form the brush will take in future use. One should always avoid touching a brush to the bottom of the pan, or for any longer than a second to the edge of the pan, as the metal is so hot that it will burn and curl up the hairs.
The modern tjanting is so well made that one does not need to exercise the precautions that used to be required in the care of the more fragile native instruments. When it be comes clogged through impurities in the wax, a fine wire, such as can be obtained on a spool at any hardware store, will quickly remove the dirt, though care should be taken in inserting the wire at the point of the spout as it is likely to cause rough edges, which may catch in the fabric and cause an unpleasant stuttering of line or even an upsetting of the tjanting, which might destroy many days' work.
In using the tjanting one must, first of all, take the utmost precaution to see that no wax clings to the out side of the cup after it has been dipped in the wax pot. The usual method is to keep in the left hand a small bit of cloth or cotton waste with which the cup is gently wiped off over the wax pot each time it is filled. Another method which has worked out satis factorily is the scraping of the bottom of the cup with a small fragment of cardboard which has been torn or cut into a square form. Some artists use for this purpose old laundry shirt boards, the backing to blocks of paper, etc. This same cardboard may be used to advantage in taking another precaution. It is often well to cover the material between the wax pot and the part of the design being worked on with two or three pieces so that in case of a spill, due to the jogging of one's elbow, they will protect the fabric. In using the tjanting one should hold the hand with the back up and allow it to slide on the nails of the small and third fingers, if such support is necessary. The tjanting should be held delicately and without tension, and the drawing should be done with a free arm movement. It is better not to move the fingers at all, and some artists, whose nerves are not sufficiently well under control, find a wrist rest of help. When it first touches the material it is likely to leave a small globule at the beginning of the line. To avoid this it will be found that if a small piece of cardboard or a piece of paper is held in the left hand with its edge exactly where the line is to begin, and the tjanting is brought down on this paper and carried forward so that it slides off at the proper place on to the fabric, the line will commence with its usual width. It must of course, be under stood, that in good work with the tjanting it is possible to make all lines of a uniform width, for any attempt to make the lines narrower or wider is likely to result in a lumpy uneven quality not to be desired. Dots of various sizes, however, can be obtained with the tjanting by the simple process of allowing it to rest a shorter or longer time on the spot and it will not be found difficult to produce these dots in perfectly round form. Under no condi tions should the tjanting be held over a flame to reheat the wax, causing clogging and even melting of the solder with which the small spout is attached to the cup, thus ruining the instrument. Fine, even lines can also be obtained with the brush, and the advantage to the skilled artist is that he can make these finer or broader with a sure, even touch. Added to this advantage is that of the technique of the almost dry or cooled brush which deposits the wax in the various textures so often desired. We may say, therefore, that for finer works of art in which the artist wishes to vary the line, the brush is better adapted, while for decorative works of art where an even unbroken line is desired, the tjanting will give a more structural effect.
The kind of wax used depends upon the result desired, but it is usually a mixture of one-half bees-wax and one-half paraffin, to which is sometimes added a little resin, for the pur pose of making it cling more securely to the fabric, and sometimes a little old wax, which makes the mixture darker. The more paraf fin used the more brittle the mixture becomes when cooled, and therefore in producing the sometimes desired "crackle," the pro portion of paraffin is increased. "Crackle" is an accidental texture which can be governed by the artist only with difficulty. There fore, though it is perfectly characteristic of this art, it should not be made use of indiscriminately, and the best artists avoid it almost entirely. It is produced by the cracking up or crushing of the fabric after the wax has cooled and stiffened and then immersing it in a dye which is thus permitted to sink through the cracks and which produces irregular lines, wandering in a hap hazard way wherever the wax has been broken. It is not easy to avoid crackle and in dyeing large pieces, a sufficiently large dye bath should be used to avoid crowding. It is advisable also to have the dye sufficiently warm so that the wax does not become too brittle.
The first step in treating the fabric is to wash it, as they do in Java, so as to remove all weighting or sizing, though certain crafts men do not make use of oil, preferring to leave the fabric as clean and white as possible. It is then pressed, after having been rinsed thoroughly, and stretched either upon a frame, a piece of glass, or an enameled table-top. Sometimes this is done by painting a band of wax at the top which adheres to the surface beneath it when cooled, and then stretching the fabric evenly and painting a band at the bottom following this by the same treatment of both sides. At other times the artist, preferring to move the material into different positions, may stretch it by means of weights placed along the °dges. The advantage of the frame is that the wax sinks through and is not broken, as is sometimes the case when the cooled finished piece is removed from glass or enamel. Thus it often saves re-waxing the back.
After the first waxing is
completed, the dyeing can be proceeded with and in this, again,
the western method differs from the eastern, for while the eastern
craftsman dyes a colour and then removes the wax, re-waxing
other portions of the design to
pare it for the dyeing of another
colour, the western craftsman
through his knowledge of the
ing of colours need never
mence his waxing more than three
times, once for each of the three
primary colours whose
tions give all other hues. It may
be well to recall at this point
that there are three primary
ours—red, yellow and blue—and
that through the proper mixing
of these colours any other colour
in the spectrum can be obtained.
By mixing these colours
ondary colours are obtained, for
red and yellow produce orange ;
yellow and blue, green ; red and
blue, purple. Making use of this
fact, the western craftsman
ally begins by reserving (covering
with wax) that part of his design
which he wishes to keep white
and also that part in which no yellow is needed. When this
ing is completed he dyes the fabric a very pale yellow. Should
he have use for a yellow red in his design or a yellow blue, that is
a green blue, he now blocks out the sections where these colours
would occur as well as the sections where he wishes to keep the
shade of yellow just applied, and then dips the fabric again in a
deeper yellow, reserving with the wax those sections which he
tends to have orange and green or deeper yellow, and so on,
ing in mind exactly what hues he wishes to produce in each part
of the design and thinking always of their intensity. When he has completed the dyeing of the yellows he may take up the reds or blues by first removing all the wax and then again covering those parts, which in the final fabric are to appear white or clear yellow. When this is completed he begins perhaps with a light red, dyeing it over white in certain places where he wishes the exact colour to appear, over a pale yellow where he wishes it to take this tint and over a deeper yellow where he wishes it to be orange. Thus it will be seen that modern batik makes use of colour principles not unlike those employed in the process of four-colour printing, and it may also be seen that the artist must not only be an excellent draughts man or painter with the wax but must have a perfect knowledge of colour and of the analysis of colour, other wise his work is sure to be a haphazard jumble of unrelated hues and values.
The batik artist must also have a knowledge of the chemistry of modern dyes, which is a separate study (see DYES). As to the technique of this side of the art, it is sufficient to state here in general that for the beginner's use there are no better dyes than those sold by reputable firms in small packages. From these or from the other acid dyes, obtainable in larger quantities whole sale, can be made concentrated solutions by boiling them in the required amount of clear water. When the experienced artist sets out to procure a certain colour he cuts a strip of the same material on which his design is to be worked and tests the colour care fully, adding a little at a time this concentrated solution to a bath of clear water, made properly acid, before immersing his work of art. In making these tests it is necessary that the small frag ment of material be kept in the bath for a given length of time, as under certain conditions the longer it stays the deeper the col our. It is also necessary that this test piece of material be rinsed just as carefully and thoroughly as the artist intends to rinse his work of art, and finally, of course, the sample must be dried before it can be determined whether or not the colour is correct. The experienced artist is most careful in his testing and is never satis fied until he has obtained the exact hue desired. It is in this work alone that many amateurs fail, sometimes ruining what might otherwise be a fine piece of craftsmanship. In testing the sample, the temperature of the dye-bath, the length of time it is im mersed and all other conditions must be exactly similar to those which the batik itself must undergo. When the sample is ready and seems perfect, the material should be wetted in clear water so that the dye can enter it at once, then immersed and kept moving gently through the dye solution. Some artists do this with sticks, hut many prefer using their hands in spite of the discom fort involved, because in order to avoid crackle the motion must be gentle though constant. It is often wise to remove the material in just a little less time than has been given the sample, for it will be found easy, if the colour is slightly pale, to give it one or two more brief dippings, rinsing it each time thoroughly, and thus arriving at the proper result. This system of gentle approach is infinitely more satisfactory than the careless attempt at procuring the desired colour in a single operation, only to find that one has overdone it, and must resort to unsatisfactory bleaching.
Bleaching can be done with soda, ammonia or any of the well known powders on the market, but it is very likely to attack the wax, and to work upon one colour more than another, giving the result, not of a simple paling of the hue, but of changing it to a distinctly different hue.
After the fabric has been properly dyed, the wax must be removed. This can best be accomplished by giving it a preliminary ironing between sheets of newspapers, which absorb a good deal of the wax. Then it is immersed in petrol and left to soak for some time so that a good deal of the remaining wax is dissolved. It is then carefully wrung out and placed in another clean bath of petrol. This work should be done most carefully, away from all flames, and with no quick move ments, for even a spark of static electricity, such as may be caused by a shake or flip of the material, has been known to ignite the fumes. It is advisable to have good ventilation where this cleaning is undertaken, for gasolene fumes are poisonous when concentrated and one should breathe as little of them as possible. Often an electric fan, properly placed, will solve this difficulty. When the cleaning by petrol has been accomplished the fabric should be rinsed and washed lightly in warm water and soap suds, to remove all traces of the acid, and then pressed.
It will be seen that proper technique in batik is quite as difficult as that of etching or painting. It must be realized that this tech nique involves even surer understanding of line and colour, for it is practically impossible to correct a mistake in drawing once it has been made, and it is also very nearly impossible to correct a mistake in colour. This is no art for those who work with trial and error methods. It must be carried on by those who conceive clearly and completely their finished result before undertaking the first step.
In permanence, batik compares favourably with the weaving of rugs, for modern dyes are sufficiently fast to make it proof against ordinary light conditions and easily cleaned without risk. Used as lamp shades or hangings against windows, it is second only to stained glass in its brilliancy and exceeds stained glass in its delicacy and variety of texture. This is then an art centuries old, little understood, demanding the utmost in technique, lasting and varied in its possibilities. All drawings in this article are from Jasper & Mas Pirngadie, "De Inlandsche Kunstnijverheid in Nederlandsch-Indie" (Boek & Kunstdrukkery).
Pellew, Dyes and Dyeing (1913) ; P. Myer, Bibliography.-C. E. Pellew, Dyes and Dyeing (1913) ; P. Myer, Batiks, and How To Make Them (1919) ; C. F. Lewis, A Practical Handbook on Batik, the Art of Wax Pattern Dyeing (1924) ; D. Real, The Batiks of Java (1924) ; J. A. Loeber, Das Batiken Eine Bliute idonesischen Kunsttebens (Oldenburg 1926). See also Report by Dutch Government, Die Batik-Kunst in Niederlandisch Indien.
(W. E. Cx.)
