Tomáš Mikolaj
It is perhaps due to applying patina on various products, too, that Miloslav Jaroš’s works emanate the past. The first ÚĽUV’s artist Václav Kautman characterised this technique of ultimate finish as a lie, some sort of forgery in art. Miloslav Jaroš, whom we visited in Radoľa at Lower Kysuce, agrees. However, as he elaborates, applying patina gives your product a rather specific look and feel characteristic only of old objects. Which, for him, is crucial. Using his own philosophy, the woodcutter applies patina with the help of a thick synthetic brush, rubbing wood painted in tempera colours. This produces authentically-appearing traces, imitating, to a certain degree, the spirit of old pews in churches, worn out or, rather, smoothened in a distinct manner. Miloslav Jaroš once wanted to be a musician. He attended classical music concerts, practised the violin, but it did not bring much fruition. All the time, he would ask himself why he was not successful. It was not until later – when working as woodcutter – that he realised he had not played the violin naturally, with lightness, and that his attempts certainly missed freedom. To stay in touch with music, however, he subsequently started carving figurines of musicians into wood, using photographs from old books. Thanks to ÚĽUV and their then employee, the artist Janka Menkynová, he soon moved emphasis from carving figurines to carving horses. Despite objectively high artistic values of his products, Miloslav Jaroš does not consider himself a master. He constantly strives to capture something intangible. Moreover, according to his own words, he is not a good draughtsman either – if he drew something, his line would differ from that of a real artist. But working with wood is something else – he loves it. Perhaps it is due to the nature of working with wood, as he can produce figurines in stages, comprising woodcutting and applying final touches. This approach perfectly expresses his thoughtfulness.