In Smog and Thunder: Historical Works from the Great War of the Californias

By Sandow Birk

The revised companion book to the Laguna-Art-Museum exhibit of the same name takes a look at Birk's ambitious series, which needs to be seen in its entirety to be fully understood. By documenting this Great War' - Birk's drawings and paintings parody the styles of early artists-explorers - his works offer social criticism on the general state of things in California. It includes a 20-track CD, which corresponds to various works in the series and it also comprises 16 new pages of propaganda posters.'

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0867194979
• ISBN13: 9780867194975
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: Last Gasp of San Francisco
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.2" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

War of California is smart and funny

This is an excellent book that fits somewhere between a picture book and a novel. The paintings are beautiful and very funny and the writing is incredibly imaginative and hilarious. It tells the story of a fictional war between Los Angeles and California but its real point seems to be the skewering of many contemporary social issues about California today, from arguments about which city leads in cultural aspects to politics, racial problems, immigration, Hollywood and the movie industry, and on and on. The back section contains all the critical reviews to put the work into art historical perspective and its quite interesting as well, and you don't need to have studied art to get it. Get this book and pour over the pictures, read the text, and then put in the CD. Its an over the top production featuring interviews with surviors, sounds of battle, music, historical analysis, and even drive-time radio traffic reports from the middle of the battles!! The price is worth the CD alone.A perfect gift and relevent to anyone, not only Californians but Americans as well with its skewering of the Civil War.I bought every copy in my store!!!Loved it!!!