Wednesday, February 22, 2006

'The Brothers Nidorf': Fallbrook artists join forces for Temecula exhibition

By: MARK M. REDFEARN - For The Californian

The brothers Nidorf ---- artists Pax and Louis of Fallbrook ---- have joined forces to exhibit about 20 representative pieces of their work at The Mercantile Gallery. Although each has displayed his own art at numerous shows throughout Southern California, this is only their second show together.

"It seems we've both been artists forever, I'd like to say from the womb," said Pax Nidorf, who, at 73, is two years his brother's junior. "We're very close together. We've always been buddies ---- once we got into high school, anyway."

But the brothers have vastly different approaches to art. Louis prefers to execute his artistic works on a computer, digitally altering photographs, while Pax employs the time-honored method of painting with a brush on canvas. Early in his career, Pax used oils, but welcomed the advent of acrylics. "I prefer the acrylic because it dries very quickly."

As a child he attended Catholic schools and was smitten with the desire to try his hand at painting. "Art has always been my love," he said. He longed to learn the rudiments of painting under the tutelage of the nuns who were his teachers, but they would accept only female art students.

Undeterred, Pax eventually found another art teacher. "You learn a lot of things in life," he said philosophically.

His paintings at The Mercantile Gallery all feature human beings in one form or other. "Most of my things come from my muses," he said.

In "Chalk Garden," for example, the artist invites us to peer down on a little girl who is sitting, stubby legs splayed, on a brick walk. Scattered around her lie several plump pieces of colored chalk. From our vantage point, we can see only the child's nose, her cheeks, a bit of her forehead and her eyebrows.

Her eyes are veiled in mystery. Are they mischievous? Contemplative? Or merely listless? Because we cannot see them, we are compelled to ponder the unknown ---- and draw our own conclusions.

The child has already selected a piece of chalk, which she grasps fiercely, protectively, in both hands. She appears to be ready to execute the first stroke of the design that has already taken shape in her inscrutable mind. After she makes her mark on the walk, she will probably run away to engage in some sort of more active play, promptly forgetting about her brief foray into creativity, as children are wont to do.

"It's a good painting," said Nidorf.

Less playful than the painting of the anonymous child artist, but nonetheless intriguing, is "Melancholy Men, Laughing Ladies," a canvas filled with 12 partial faces, six men with pursed lips marshaled across the top and six women with huge, toothy grins arrayed across the bottom. The juxtaposition between the two sets of figures is unnerving. Are the women taunting the men? Are the men morose because the women are mocking them? Are the two sets of figures separated by an invisible wall and thus unable to communicate?

The artist is loath to proffer answers, because not only beauty, but also meaning, is in the eye of the beholder.

Nidorf said he finds inspiration for his work in several places: in nature, people and seeing other artists' work. "Just seeing other artists is very stimulating, I would say."

Although many health professionals recommend exercise as a way to arouse one's creativity, Nidorf claimed that anything even remotely resembling physical activity ---- other than shooing the cat from a chair so he can sit down ---- is anathema to him.

"My favorite form of exercise is changing my mind," he said with a laugh. "When I use the word 'exercise,' I have to wash my mouth out with chocolate."

Yet painting is undeniably a physical activity, one that Nidorf pursued for at least two hours a day, even when he engaged in full-time practice as a psychologist. Retirement brought with it the indisputable benefit of more time to devote to painting.

Nidorf said that one wall of his home is now covered with paintings. The wall serves as an informal gallery from which he occasionally sells a painting. "I really see them as children. And you can only have so many children in your house before it gets crowded."

Nidorf said that he harbors no illusions that all, or even many, of his paintings are brilliant. "I hope I'll have my 15 minutes of fame. I'm still waiting ---- it's getting late in the day."

He also hopes that his paintings will help those who view them "to delve more deeply into human nature."

Nidorf said he was pleased with the turnout at the Jan. 20 opening of the exhibit. "A lot of people showed up and a lot of people liked the art," he said.

There's still time to see the art of "The Brothers Nidorf." The exhibit runs through March 19 at The Mercantile Gallery.