Batik is one of several "court arts", along with shadow play of wayang purwa, court dances, gamelan or authentic Javanese percussion orchestra, and poetry. The art is an extension of the philosophy based on the spiritual discipline. Control, etiquette, and harmony are of central importance to the Javanese. Any conflicts in design or style are to be avoided.

Batik incorporates a few elements of meditation. Breathing and total concentration are of necessity to draw fine, even lines with canting. Batik drawing requires calm and peaceful psychological state; observing it also induces a meditative state of mind. Controlled breathing is essential in painting batik. Like court dancers and gamelan perfomers, batik painter must clear one's mind through fasting or abstinence.

The ego must be contained to achieve a perfect harmony between the mind and the batik technique or design. A superior batik is synonymous with harmony.

The design vocabulary for batik is derived from various aesthetic orientations and often inspired by rituals. The upper-classes participated in the rituals and undoubtedly contributed in defining the batik designs. Geometric patterns prevalent at the court were motifs like the ceplok, the kawung, the nitik and the lereng or garis miring

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