Central Javanese Batik Pattern

On a formal level, Central Javanese batik are patterned with repeated motifs which cover the entire cloth more or less densely, either with geometric patterns or motifs derived from nature. In the geometric designs, negative and positive spaces interlock in a balanced design where both have equal value. There is no attempt to break out of two-dimensionality and to introduce spatial depth. This approach to a pictorial surface echoes throughout Balinese traditional or neo-traditional painting and much of modern Indonesian painting (Wright, 1991).

Wright, A. (1991). Javanese mysticism and art: A case of iconography and healing. Indonesia, Vol. 52, pp. 85-104.