Vladimir Asnimov Gave Special Tour To Students And Teachers In Jakarta
By: Nia S. Amira*
Friday is always a Good Day for us to meet, and on 14th of February 2020, a group of 50 students and teachers, including their Headmasters to fulfilling a special invitation from the Russian Federation Embassy in Jakarta to meet with an extraordinary Russian artist, Vladimir Asinimov.
The meeting was held at the National Gallery, a beautiful contemporary style building. Before officially becoming the National Gallery of Indonesia, in 1900 the Carpentier Alting Stitching Christian Foundation (CAS) built a school and boarding school for women which was the first school in the Dutch East Indies.
In 1955, the Indonesian government banned all activities of the Dutch community which resulted in the transfer of the building to become the property of Raden Saleh Foundation.
The total dismissal was carried out in 1962 by order of President Sukarno so that Raden Saleh Foundation was dissolved and all equipment was handed over to the Minister of Education and Culture.
From outside of the building, I observed Asinimov was chatting with a young man who later I learned was named Michael who graduated from the University of Indonesia in Russian Literature.
Asinimov looked a little fatigue, of course understand that he had served many honored guests who came at the opening of the 70-year of Indonesian-Russian friendship which was packaged in a photo exhibition of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Russia and beautiful paintings by the spouse of the Maestro who appreciated the beauty of the archipelago from Bali to Sumatra.
Asinimov was very patient in serving his young guests from SMAN 6, SMPN 267, SMPN 178, and SMPN 16 Jakarta.
There was admiration on the students when Asinimov explained that a Russian painter used to work for 6 hours standing even under the sun, this is indeed a unique from Russian artists, especially Vladimir Asinimov and Olga who were very impressed with the Fish Market in Banda Aceh. The result of Banda Aceh is an impressive painting of a father and son selling the fish.
In remembrance of the close relations established by President Soekarno and Nikita Kruschev in 1961, until the story of the discovery of the tomb of Imam Al-Bukhari, Asinimov sang the intro of “Rayuan Pulau Kelapa” which was once popularized by the Russian singer Maya Golov and was spontaneously followed by the students and teachers.
The song was created by Ismail Marzuki, was delivered so beautiful inside of the main building of the National Gallery.
There was a meeting and later a farewell and before that, Darryl, a student of SMAN 6 Jakarta, delivered an poem titled An Old Woman by the renowned Russian philologist and poet Alexey Kalkutin from Nizhny Novgorod. Then one by one the representatives of school gave souvenirs to Asinimov, who is also an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Arts.
The sky was clear that afternoon after a brief rain, and the students returned to their schools with happy feeling of meeting one of Russia’s famous artists, Vladimir Asinimov and Olga Yausheva. Hope we meet again.
Spasiba, thanks Bapak Anisimov and Ibu Olga, and see you soon.(AK/R1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
*Nia S. Amira is a distinguished author, journalist and linguist from Indonesia. She writes on cultural, international affairs, multi-culturism and religious studies. Her articles have appeared in over thirty newspapers that are published in Europe, Asia and the United States.