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BATIK ARTWORK IN BENGAL



red saree with batik

Origin


Batik originated in Indonesia and continues to be a prevalent artform in the region. The term is a combination of Indonesian words meaning ‘to write’ and ‘joining the dots’ . In Indonesia, batik (the art) and batiking (the practice of making a batik), is used interchangeably where the creation of the artefact follows rules and pattern designs to provide a deeper meaning to the lives of those who create it. It is more than a mere artform as it is deeply intertwined with the spiritual life of the artisans.

 

In India the artform is practised in Mundhra in Gujrat, Injambakkam in Tamil Nadu, Indore in Madhya Pradesh and Shantiniketan in West Bengal. I had always thought that Rabindra Nath Tagore was instrumental in introducing this artform in Shantiniketan. I did not know that it was his daughter-in-law, Pratima Debi, who learnt the technique from French artist Mon Mieux, and played a significant role in introducing it in Shantiniketan. In his travel to Indonesia, Rabindranath Tagore, brought pieces of batik fabric which were introduced as an artform in Kala Bhavan, the art school of Vishwa Bharati University.  

 


Method



saree with batik




Batik is an ancient wax resist and dyeing technique used to create patterns on fabric. It is a way to decorate plain cotton and silk fabric with patterns. Molten wax is applied with a brush on a fabric which is then dyed in different colours. The batik cracks refer to the process where the dye enters selective sections of the cloth to create a pattern of ‘cracks’ on the fabric. 

 









saree with batik

This art remains live in Shantiniketan to this day and the style of batik prevalent here is known as shoru tuli Shantiniketoni batik or the thin brush batik where the brush is used to apply the molten wax.  The Shantiniketan form of batik is significantly different from the Indonesian style in terms of the technique and design patterns. The design patterns are ornamental drawing or traditional alpona patterns. The patterns include geometric patterns, flowers ( found in Bengal like lotus, hibiscus and marigold) and animals  (peacock and fish). The conch shell part of every Bengali household is used frequently in Bengal batik art.




 

Cottage industry


The art and craft of Batik today is essentially women driven and is a cottage based industry in Shantiniketan. It allows women who are not able to access formal batik education through an art school to use their domestic skills of alpona making into batik creation through fabric decoration with wax and dye. The sustenance of the artform contributes to the income of the women artisans and their families. Some of the renowned women batik artisans using the Shantiniketani style of Batik are Gauri Bhanja, Jamuna Sen , Kosoma Ghosh, Illa Ghosh, Arundhuti Thakur, Haimanti Chakraborty, Rani Chanda, Indusudha Ghosh and Bani Bose.


Resources


Scroll.in. Eco India: Meet the artisans who are reviving the traditional, eco-friendly art of Batik printing. Eco India: Meet the artisans who are reviving the traditional, eco-friendly art of Batik printing

 

 

Gaffney, Dianne.  What is Batik. https://www.batikguild.org.uk/batik/what-is-batik

 

Wronska-Friend, Maria. 2019. Batik of West Bengal: The legacy of Rabindranath Tagore, Textiles Asia, 10(3), 7-12.

 

Varade, Arunesh. 5 Women Artists who illustrated the Constituion of India. https://www.theheritagelab.in/women-artists-constitution-india/

 

Bhattacharya, Ayana. Discovering the  Lives of Bengal’s Women Artists with Soma Sen. https://dagworld.com/discovering-the-lives-of-bengal-s-women-artists-with-soma-sen.html

 

Mukherjee, Esha. 2022. Emani Art: Batik in Shantiniketan. https://www.emamiart.com/blog/43-batik-in-santiniketan/

 
 
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