Meet the person who carved the statue of Uncle Ho in Lenin's hometown

(Baonghean) - MOne day in mid-November 2016, a delegation from Nghe An province arrived in Ulyanovsk city (Russian Federation). In late autumn, this place, praised as the city of romantic forests, was entering the season of changing leaves. Without the majestic, noisy appearance of the city, Ulyanovsk wore a simple, quiet and attractive appearance of its own.

The character of the people in Ulyanovsk is also very kind. Ulyanovsk and Nghe An have a deep historical connection, the two localities are the homeland of two great people: Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and President Ho Chi Minh.

During the business trip to Ulyanovsk, our delegation had the opportunity to work with a new colleague and sincere friend - sculptor Oleg Klyuev. In his 40s, tall and with a deep voice, Oleg Klyuev gives people a feeling of closeness and trust. Oleg Klyuev is a famous name in the sculpture world in the land of the White Birch, specializing in sculpting statues of VI Lenin and many other famous people of Russia. Therefore, surpassing many other artists, Oleg Klyuev was chosen to cast the statue of President Ho Chi Minh, expected to be placed in the square named after him in Ulyanovsk city.

The monument is the aspiration and earnest devotion, demonstrating the steadfast relationship between the two localities of Nghe An and Ulyanovsk as well as the Association of Vietnamese Solidarity in Ulyanovsk city. The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Monument of President Ho Chi Minh was held in June 2015. This working trip of the Nghe An delegation, in addition to discussing more about cooperative relationships and cultural exchanges, also has the extremely important meaning of checking and examining the technical and aesthetic qualities of the statue blank before it is put into the mold.

Groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Ho Chi Minh Monument in Ulyanovsk City. Photo by Vo Hoai Nam

Sculptor Oleg Klyuev is very professional in his work. In the office cluttered with tools, clay, paint, wooden shelves..., the man with a warm smile, enthusiastically sharing about life seems to have disappeared, leaving behind a solid, thoughtful Oleg Klyuev, careful when analyzing, presenting the idea of ​​making the monument and listening to everyone's comments and suggestions. Oleg Klyuev said that, although he has directly sculpted statues of many great people and celebrities in many materials, forms, and sizes, with the Monument of President Ho Chi Minh, he still cannot help but feel pressured.

“It can be said that this is the most special work in my creative career. It is not only the pure work of a sculptor, but also contains respectful feelings for President Ho Chi Minh and the heroic Vietnamese people,” shared sculptor Oleg Klyuev.

Sculptor Oleg Klyuev (right) talks with the delegation of Nghe An province. Photo: Khanh Tran

Having never met President Ho Chi Minh, before accepting the invitation and even after officially starting the work, Oleg Klyuev constantly searched for and collected documents and images about him. In his studio, he hung many photos of Uncle Ho taken from different angles; the film footage about the life and career of the great leader of the Vietnamese revolution was pondered and studied by the Russian sculptor.

Nghe An province also took many photos of Uncle Ho's statues to send to Oleg Klyuev for further reference. The sculpture of the statue, which has many complicated stages, must be both realistic, exuding the soul, simple, close but great demeanor of the famous person, while ensuring aesthetics and artistry. Besides, for sculptor Oleg Klyuev, casting the statue of Uncle Ho with the different characteristics between the appearance of an Asian person compared to a European person is also a big challenge for his artistic hands. Colleagues who witnessed Oleg Klyuev's serious artistic work all had to exclaim in admiration. After many long days and sleepless nights, for Oleg Klyuev, the Statue of President Ho Chi Minh is not simply a pure sculpture but contains all the sincerity and admiration for the great leader of the friendly country of Vietnam.

After nearly a year and a half of struggling to create, many parts of the work were carefully carried out and 4 rounds of comments and edits, sculptor Oleg Klyuev basically completed the plaster monument blank, ensuring both aesthetic and technical requirements.

“The Ho Chi Minh Monument is a special cultural project in Ulyanovsk city, demonstrating the friendship between the two countries and peoples. That thought always inspires and enlightens me in the process of creation” - Oleg Klyuev confided. As planned, the Ho Chi Minh Monument is 5m high, cast in pure bronze, placed on a 3.45m high pedestal, located in the square named after him, over 2,000 m2 wide, next to Ho Chi Minh Boulevard in Zasniazhsky district, Ulyanovsk city. The Ho Chi Minh Square and Monument in Ulyanovsk city is expected to be inaugurated on the occasion of his 127th birthday (May 19, 2017).

Ulyanovsk city on the peaceful and poetic Volga river. Photo: internet

Nghe An province of Vietnam and Ulyanovsk province of Russia are thousands of kilometers apart, but the friendship is reflected in many political - economic - social fields, most notably the image of President Ho Chi Minh and the image of the leader of the Russian October Revolution Vladimir Ilyich Lenin present in the consciousness and daily life of the people of the two provinces and two countries. If in Vinh city, Nghe An province - the hometown of President Ho Chi Minh, there is an avenue named Lenin, then in Ulyanovsk city - the center of Ulyanovsk province, there are also very special Vietnamese imprints.

And then, the square and monument named after President Ho Chi Minh in the land of the White Birch will be a symbol and belief for the most loyal and warmest things for not only thousands of Vietnamese people living and working in Ulyanovsk in particular and Russia in general, but also for millions of peace-loving people in the world who have the opportunity to come here.

Nhat Le - Khanh Tran