Milan Erič (SI)

The Afternoon (The State), 2012
ink on paper

Traveler, 2008
pencil on paper 

Expulsion to Paradise, 2008
acryl on paper

Liberte, egalite, fraternite, 2010
acryl on paper

In 2019, Milan Erič, illustrator, painter, cartoonist and animator is certainly the most award-winning visual artist in Slovenia. At the opening of the 13th Slovenian Biennial of Illustration, he received the main prize of Hinko Smrekar, and only two weeks later the Jakopič Prize, the highest guild award for painting in Slovenia. In their explanation, they stated that »his visual language is recognisable, visually expressive and filled with characteristic criticality, irony, satirism, but intertwined with optimism, bravery and joy.« And they added, »Erič is extremely humorous, but at the same time a serious critic of the current society and the present age, who, with superb mastery of fine arts language and extremely positive energy, significantly influences and leaves behind deep traces in the field of illustration, drawing and animated film.« Drawing is emerging in the techniques of pencil, charcoal, ink and pastel, »it is built on a strongly expressed line, where the sequence of images keeps maintaining a sense of the apparent simplicity and logic of fine arts language.« A versatile artist who can hardly be imagined other than with a pencil in his hands, is known for his collaboration with Zvonko Čoh in animation (Try to Shake 2x from 1982, the first Slovene feature animation Socialization of the Bull from 1998, for which they also received the Prešeren Fund Award in 1999), as for illustrations, drawing and professorship at the Design Department at ALUO. When creating semantically concise images with countless »cheerful-serious« adventures, which can be the result of a pencil or »smearing« with colors, watering and random mixing of colors, he uses a variety of techniques and methods in his work, from classical drawing and painting techniques, in which there always lies a twist, some sub-connotation, his wickedness, which furthers the work with the title.

Milan Erič (b. 1956, Slovenia) graduated at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana in 1981, specializing in painting under the mentorship of professor Janez Bernik. In 1981 and 1982 he attended graphic design courses under the mentorship of professor Bogdan Borčič. After completing his studies, he went on to work in the field of painting, animation and illustration. Since 1980 he has been showcasing his artwork in solo and group exhibitions both in Slovenia and abroad. In 1982 painter Zvonko Čoh and him filmed Poskušaj Migati Dvakrat / Try To Wink Twice, an animated short that is awarded the Mladina Zlata Ptica Award (1983), the Župančič Award (1988) and acclaimed at the Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film. In 1986 he became an associate professor at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana. That same year, he was employed by the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering as professor of Drawing at the department for Textile and Fashion Design. He worked as an illustrator for the Mladina weekly from 1988–1990 and for the Mladinska Knjiga publishing house. Between 1985 and 1998 he worked on the animated film Socializacija Bika? / Socialization of the Bull? with painter Zvonko Čoh. In 1998, the film is awarded the Grand Prix at the Festival of Slovenian Film, the Prešeren Fund Award in 2000 and celebrated for its humor at the Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film in 2001. In 1994 he begins working at the Design Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana, teaching Drawing and Painting. In 2006 he is awarded the Hinko Smrekar Plaque at the 9th Slovenian Biennial of Illustration, in 2019 the Hinko Smrekar Award at the 13th Biennial of Slovenian Illustration and that same year he receives the Rihard Jakopič Lifetime Achievement Award.