The story of block print – A timeless craft, and the essential antithesis of modern uniformity.
The power of handcrafted textiles should not be underestimated, shaping generations, over continents and colonial empires. Spanning 4000 years, block printing has remained an integral element of handcrafted textiles. Historians place the origins of block printing in China 200 AD, spreading throughout Asia, India, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia and eventually to North Africa and Turkey by the 10th century. Eventually arriving in Europe via the silk road. The Diamond Sutra, a book published in China in 868 Ad, 300 years before the Gutenberg bible demonstrates the earliest use of block printing. From ancient sacred Buddhist texts spreading spiritual teachings to political & revolutionary ideas in the USA, block printing on hand-made paper was an important means of communication to a wider audience.
The history of how Indian block printing on cotton became so important relies heavily on what the invaders of this vast continent wrote. Genghis Khans descendant Babur invaded India in the early 16th century, securing power of the rapidly growing Mughal dynasty. Ruling for over 200 years, the creative influences in the arts, architecture & textiles can still be seen today in Modern India. From the Taj Mahal to historical textile production centres in Rajasthan & Gujarat, still housing many crafts people today. The Mughal empire crystallised the use of block printing, and motifs designed in this period are still used today.
Hand block printing has changed little since the Mughal period. This cherished art form relishes the slow rate of production, celebrating the human hand, while yielding beauty in minor imperfections as the trademark & discerning factor of his craft. The inconsistences are appreciated by many and mis-understood by more. Those who prefer the symmetry & dull accuracy of industrial printing, miss the integrity and depth of all the hands involved. Skills passed down from generation to generation, from parent to child, to create a cloth so rich in culture and history, yet remains relevant today, is surely a mark of something truly special.
Hand carved wood blocks, used to print the designs are an art practice in themselves; carved from rose wood, not much bigger than the size of an average book, using a simple hammer & chisel. Each element of the design must be carved into a separate block of wood. For just one design, several blocks, or “a family” of blocks will be carved, all fitting perfectly together when dipped in dye and printed. A separate block for the background, another for the outline, and more for the different elements of colour required in a single design. The cloth is then covered in its entirety with the first block, carefully matching up the edges as the block, held by hand, moves from the dye bath to the cloth, with just the right amount pressure & dye applied, then over printed again with the second block design and so on, building up the intricacies of the individual elements of the design, for the perfect outcome.
Block printing can be used in 3 different ways, from the simple method of dipping the block into colour, and stamping onto the cloth, to discharge, by dipping the block into a bleach derivative to take colour out of the cloth, and resist, that requires the block to be dipped into a natural mud concoction to be printed on to the cloth, which is then dipped into a dye bath, usually indigo, which colours the parts of the cloth without the mud paste, the mud is then washed off, leaving the design behind. The warm dry weather of the Rajasthan desert & Gujarat are the perfect places for production.
The industrial revolution resulted in technological advances in the UK and Europe, making it difficult for India to compete…
With the onslaught of the industrial revolution, synthetic material & dyes, hand block printing was on the verge of completely disappearing, until the founders of Anokhi, John & Faith Singh, revitalised this age-old technique.
The Anokhi Museum of block printing in a small village behind the Amber fort, just outside Jaipur pays beautiful homage to its preservation & continued development of this craft. In recent years block printed cloth has once again become fashionable, with a resurgence in wood carvers & printers allowing the craft to be passed onto the next generation. I have a seen a significant increase in the number of craftspeople now making wood blocks in Sanganer, just in the last few years. As always with booming crafts in India, much attention is given to replicating the print by using a quicker technique. Handheld screen printing has been a solution, incorporating even the small mistakes to look just like block printing, so it can be sold with greater profits in the market.
Block-printed cloth rewards a closer, more discerning look. Its true value lies in the fabric’s provenance, the intangible connection to its maker, and its welcome contrast with the uniformity and environmental harm of mass production.
