Themes and Style
Birk often takes stylistic inspiration from historic works. For example, the book commemorating his monumental exhibition, In Smog and Thunder: Historical works from The Great War of the Californias "documents" a fictional war between northern and southern California. The battles are defined as "Smogtown versus Fogtown", describing Los Angeles and San Francisco respectively. The style of paintings partly follows paintings depicting the U.S. Revolutionary War.
There is also pervasive California-related humor. In one "Fogtown" battle scene, Rendezvous at Twin Peaks (1996, acrylic on canvas, 50 x 50 inches) a "roach coach" lunch truck is part of a scene including people on horseback and tanks on a hill. Many battles feature armored vehicles with Ralph's grocery store logos, submarines with the CBS eye, and comic mixtures of medieval and modern armaments and vehicles.
Some work is ink on paper. There are a number of works which include the Getty Center, (usually under attack). These include The End of the Siege of the Getty (1998, ink on paper, 17 x 14 inches), Midnight Assault on the Getty, (1998, ink on paper, 17 x 14 inches), and The Heaving of Major Applicances During the Assault on the Getty, (1998, ink on paper, 17 x 14 inches). In The Heaving, several people struggle to load a clothes dryer on to a trebuchet aimed at the Getty while others stand around with their hands in their pockets.
Images have the overtones of serious documentary works with visual elements that make for a humorous twist. There is a mixture of modern landmarks like Sutro Tower and the Transamerica Pyramid while soldiers ride horses or Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Stereotypes about San Francisco's gayness and the brutality of L.A. police officers is often part of a work.
Read more about this topic: Sandow Birk
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