Batik Solo

SOLO or also knowing as Surakarta is a number two city in Central Java after Yogyakarta. The city found in 1745 starting with the development of Keraton Surakarta (Palace of Surakarta) as a capital of Mataram Kingdom.

The palace has fall when the Chinese people rebellion against the governance of Susuhan Paku Buwono II at 1742 (knowing as Geger Pacinan).

The fall of the Kingdom later handle by a Dutch colonial government with an agreement called as Giyanti Agreement on 1755. The agreement divided Mataram into two state of Kingdom; one is Surakarta under the king Paku Buwono II and Yogyakarta under Hamengku Buwono I.

The Surakarta Sultanate become smaller after the Dutch permitted Raden Mas Said developing Pura Mangkunegaran as a result of peace agreement at Kalicacing, Salatiga (1757).

Nowadays, Keraton Kesunanan Surakarta and Pura Mangkunegaran have a function to maintaining a Javanese culture, including Batik, a traditional textile with a specific pattern and unique process of painting.

There is a specific market at Solo named Pasar Klewer or Klewer Market as a central of Batik market. You can find so many type of Batik from the low to high quality with a various price. There is also a unique Batik pattern called as Lurik. Lurik in Javanese society is not only a daily cloth but also used in the cultural celebration.

Pasar Klewer located at the west side of Keraton (Palace of Kasunanan) renovated on 1970. Klewer market also a tourist destination to buy Batik cloth.

Where is the central Batik industry in Solo? The answer is Kauman area. Kauman knowing as a village of Batik. Kauman village located side-by-side with the Biggest Mosque or “Masjid Agung”. In the past there is a cleric village with many cultures. Until now there are still many old building with a Javanese, European or Chinese style.

The famous Solo’s Batik is Batik Tulis or a traditional Batik write. The pattern is very specific soft and gentle. Geometrical and non-geometrical patterns, a geometrical pattern among others is banji, ceplok, kawung, nitik and inclines. Non-geometrical pattern are semen, buketan and terang bulan. The specific color of Surakarta is black, blue, white and sogan (nearly brown).

The Process of Made Kauman Batik.

There is a book with a title “Batik Klasik” write by Hamzuri that tell a process of made Batik.

Here is a brief about the process to made Batik. The main material is a textile called as “Mori” based on cotton or silk. The quality of Batik will depend on the quality of Mori. The size of Mori is specific traditionally and called as “Kacu”. Before the process Mori must be bleach and then drying.

After processing the Mori the process to made Batik is ready. There are some others materiel for making Batik. A write Batik using a specific pen called as “canthing”, the others is a specific wax called as “malam”.

Malam made by mixed a paraffin, kote (bee wax), gandarukem, dammar, micro wax, used wax (lilin gladhagan), and coconut oil or animal fat. The wax used for covering the motive to prevent color materiel.

The color material made by a natural material likes leave, wood skin, roots three and others. An example indigo leave used to get a color of blue and blue-black.

A person whose paint and write Batik called as “Pengobeng”. The process starting by make liquid of malam by cocking at special small wok with small fire by using s traditional brazier until the wax perfectly liquid. The wax already processed with color, which is functioning as an ink to paint the mori.

The use of canthing has a special procedure; before writing into mori chanting must be gently blow at the mouth of the cone where the ink will go out. The ink will smoothly out from the canthing and the motive at the mori will be perfect.

Briefly the process of Batik is;

1. Made a pattern of frame. A frame with a style called as mola, and without style called as “ngrujak”. The mori after have a frame pattern called as ‘klowongan” or batikan kosongan.
2. Second step is the painting of main object called as “ngisen-iseni”. This is a painting of the main surface of mori.
3. Third step is the painting following the ngisen-iseni on the back-side, this process called as “nerusi”.
4. Fourth process is “nembok”, is to close the part of painting by wax to get the color keep white.
5. Fifth step is continuing nembok by using canthing to improve the cover.
6. Sixth step is “medel” is to dye mori after painting by batik wax to the blue or blue-black color, continuing by cleaning the wax from the parts of the surface that the motive of batik will give a brown color. The process of cleaning wax called as ngerok and ngirah.
7. Seventh step is to cover the part of surface of mori that will keep on the blue color. This process called as mbironi.
8. After process of mbironi and the mori dry, the mori dye to the brown (soga) color called as nyoga.
9. After nyoga the next step called as “nglorod” a process to cleaning all the wax from the surface of batik mori by using a hot water. This is the last step of traditional batik before the batik to dry in the sun.

For a tourist who want to learn to made batik, at Kauman there are many place give a services and explaining how to made batik.

Batik is one of a common commodity in Solo, the people of Solo are very proud with their traditional Batik.

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