Eva Ševčíková
Milan Árendáš (born 1959) is one of the most renowned representatives of contemporary tin-glazed earthenware in Slovakia. His unique approach to craft, consistency in technology and sense for traditional decors have won him the impressive reputation. To become a skilled faience maker, one should master many processes that cannot be mastered without knowledge of materials and technologies. M. Árendáš learnt the skills of a painter in the town of Modra and old masters taught him all ceramics making processes. He started to collaborate with the ÚĽUV in 1979. The ÚĽUV incorporated the ceramic items he had made into the exhibitions organised in Slovakia and abroad. Árendáš was awarded the master of folk art production title in 1987, when he was only 28. He is one of the youngest people who have been awarded this title in the folk art production. He mixes glazes and colours to produce unique combinations of colours. Árendáš prefers colours of earth. He produces embossed colours with unique, almost tangible structure. All components – base, shape and colours – must fit perfectly. He borrows from the old books to mix own glazes and colours. Árendáš prefers making larger objects. Stylised horses or rabbits as well as the marbling decoration technique are typical examples of his work. However, Milan Árendáš has been engaged in furnace making since the early 1990s. He makes every type and shape of tile and furnaces, from a project to building a furnace.