The amazing art of Vladimir Aniskin

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: The amazing art of Vladimir Aniskin

Warm-up

Have you ever seen very small art?

Vocabulary Match

pigment •• metal worker
blacksmith •• art
particles •• quiet
artworks •• dye
silence •• bits
museums •• galleries

Vocabulary Answers

pigmentdye
blacksmithmetal worker
particlesbits
artworksart
silencequiet
museumsgalleries

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

In 1881, a Russian writer named Nikolai Leskov wrote a story about a left-handed ________ who put tiny horseshoes on a steel flea. Today, a real craftsman named Vladimir Aniskin from Novosibirsk makes very small ________. He creates these tiny pieces in his free time and in complete ________. Aniskin said, "I prefer working with gold, colouring ________, and dust ________."

He has made many tiny things, like camels in the eye of a needle and horseshoes on a flea. Some of his works are in ________, and three of them are in the Russian Book of Records. Recently, his tiny artworks even went to space on the International Space Station.

In 1881, a Russian writer named Nikolai Leskov wrote a story about a left-handed blacksmith who put tiny horseshoes on a steel flea. Today, a real craftsman named Vladimir Aniskin from Novosibirsk makes very small artworks. He creates these tiny pieces in his free time and in complete silence. Aniskin said, "I prefer working with gold, colouring pigment, and dust particles."

He has made many tiny things, like camels in the eye of a needle and horseshoes on a flea. Some of his works are in museums, and three of them are in the Russian Book of Records. Recently, his tiny artworks even went to space on the International Space Station.

Quiz

  1. When did Nikolai Leskov write his story?
  2. What does Vladimir Aniskin do?
  3. What does Aniskin prefer to work with?
  4. Where did Aniskin's tiny artworks go recently?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. He wrote his story in 1881 .
  2. He makes very small artworks.
  3. He prefers to work with gold, colouring pigment, and dust particles.
  4. They went to space on the International Space Station.

True or False

  1. Nikolai Leskov wrote about a right-handed blacksmith. T F
  2. Aniskin quietly makes tiny artworks in his free time. T F
  3. Aniskin has made things like horseshoes for camels. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. True
  3. False

Conversation

A:Wow, Vladimir! You made tiny horseshoes for a flea?
B:Yes, it was very challenging but fun.
A:How do you even see such small things?
B:I use a microscope and work very carefully.
A:That's amazing! Your art even went to space!
B:Really? It was so small I thought I had lost it!

Discussion

  1. Have you ever tried making something very small?
  2. Do you think it's hard to work in complete silence?
  3. Would you like to see tiny artworks in a museum?
  4. Do you know any other famous artists?
  5. What kind of art do you like the most?

Further Reading

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/10/08/vladimir-aniskin-and-his-invisible-masterpieces-a67628

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