Antigone (silk screen/handmade) retold by Gita Wolf Sirish Rao






Handmade book with slipcase in
VG+ Condition
Antigone retold
Released by J. Paul Getty
100% Handcrafted book, silk screen printed and on handmade paper.
"The award was Best Book Arts Craftsmanship for their Sophochles' ANTIGONE, a beautiful, handmade, slip-cased edition. I jokingly said we were awarding them $500 because we heard they needed the money. At the party that evening, Director of Publications Chris Hudson told me that the craftspeople in India who created the book truly DO need the money. His description of the project:
"It is, essentially, a handmade book, with no part of the production process done by machines (except for the old-fashioned guillotine they use to trim the paper). The paper consists of cotton rags and assorted waste paper. The paints are non-toxic screen printing inks, mixed by hand and the glue used in binding is a water-based resin adhesive."
"The craftspeople are young men who have migrated from their villages to the city of Chennai (Madras) in search of work, have been trained in the art of hand-bookmaking, and are now quite well recognized in the area. We at the Getty had wanted to use their work for some time, and finally found the right project, which was -- they tell me -- the most difficult and complex production they've ever done."
"We were very happy to be able to find a way to bring this craftsmanship to an American book-buying public, at a price that is competitive with commercial production runs and yet fairly compensates the craftspeople. We are turning over the prize to them and forwarding a copy of the award certificate, which will -- I think -- be the first official American recognition of their expertise."