Batik Re-Invention in the Construction of the Identity of Indonesian Modern Painting

The development of modern Indonesian painting until the 1970s, which was dominated by Western modern painting, fostered the spirit of identity in modern Indonesian painting.This study investigated the problem of batik reinvention in constructing the identity of modern painting in Indonesia (Yogyakarta).Historical qualitative research is reflected within a case study approach.The subject of this study is a modern Indonesian-Yogyakarta painter, having in view especially his paintings.The target of this research was modern Indonesian painters in Yogyakarta (as the forerunners of the emergence of batik painting).Data collection techniques include document study and observation.Data analysis in this study consists of the initial stages of defining and explaining, the preparatory stage, collection, and evaluation, as well as the final stage of analysis and conclusion.The results of the study consisted of three main aspects, as follows: first, modern Indonesian-Yogyakarta painters adapted the principle of batik in presenting painting works that have an Indonesian identity; second, the form of batik re-invention as a medium of modern painting between Indonesia and Yogyakarta comes in various patterns; and third, modern painters of Yogyakarta are pioneers of batik painting.