'Violane' - V
Violane is one of seven paintings by Taiwanese-American visual artist James Jean. It is part of his “Seven Phases” collection - which consists of eight pieces - with one painting depicting each BTS member along with an eighth painting denoting the whole group.
V’s painting is titled Violane.
V’s love and appreciation for art is no secret.
We know he bought several paintings, brooches, and the like from small artists. Not only that, but he has made a point to visit many art exhibitions. V is also an avid admirer of artists, such as Van Gogh, which can be seen via references in his music as well as accessories.
James Jean, as an ARMY, has depicted each member as they are often perceived by their fans. V, usually represented by both the tiger and alien emojis, seems to be drawn up as the latter in this artwork. Like his rather vibrant personality, the painting has several splashes of color from hues of pinks and blues to purples and yellows. Geometric patterns are painted into the background with magenta gemstones, and a saxophone is featured in the foreground.
During his younger years, upon his father’s behest, V learned to play the saxophone in hopes of becoming a music artist. According to V, his father had suggested mastering an instrument to add to whatever musical career he chose to pursue. V also played the saxophone in an interview during the band’s WINGS era.
In addition to his knowledge of the instrument, perhaps the saxophone may also represent his love for classical music.
The aforementioned magenta gemstones can be interpreted as the saying, “hidden gem.” This could refer to one of two things, or even both: V’s status as a hidden member pre-debut as well as his wide vocal range. Six out of seven members were publicly known to be part of the BTS lineup before the group debuted. However, V was not one of them. He was a hidden member, and thus his appearance in the group came as a surprise when BTS debuted. Amongst his many talents as a performer was his wide vocal range that remains to be prominent amongst the group and their fans along with his powerful stage presence.
The alien-like character in the painting may reference the fact that, as a hidden member, V was bound to feel alienated from the rest of the group, who were free to communicate with the fandom while he could not. In addition to that, he has also been referred to as the “alien” of the group because of his unique ideas and quirkiness. As such, he hasn’t always been comfortable with this reference when used by others outside of the BTS members.
The character holds a giant gemstone over its head, which resembles a typical pose that many superheroes in films and comics are often depicted in. Perhaps it is meant to signify the fact that, despite being referred to as an “alien,” V has used his uniqueness as the greatest asset in his career and was not discouraged by it.
That concludes the deconstruction of V’s Violane by James Jean.
'Cottontail' - Jung Kook
One of the paintings in the “Seven Phases” series by James Jean was of Jung Kook, the maknae of BTS. His painting’s name is Cottontail.
As many ARMYs know, Jung Kook himself likes drawing and painting. He has always shaken ARMY to the core with his artistic works. We can see his paintings in the “WINGS Short Film #1: Begin” (the famous boy with colored splatters), “BTS In the SOOP,” and in Bangtan Bombs like the MAMA 2019 backstage named “Jung Kook’s Art Class” in which he draws a rather peculiar yet fascinating artwork of a moon with an eye soaring over a cloud.
Through a simple, single glance perspective, we notice that James Jean has based the paintings on the objects, entities, or animals each of the BTS members represent. In Jung Kook’s Cottontail, James Jean depicts him as a rabbit, or a bunny, which is also what ARMY associates with the maknae.
The painting is highly appealing. The fresh colors and shapes are visual candy. All over the painting, rabbits are seen hopping around, and the atmosphere gives off happy vibes. The artist uses bright and vivid colors, encased in swirls and patterns with various holes. The interior looks like a geode of rose pink, dark blue, and cyan. The rest of the background contains floating light blue clouds and wavy patterns of pastel colors. The rabbits are not ordinary ones; even they have floral patterns of lucid colors, the same patterns seen on the young person’s clothing and skin. He is probably hopping or running with the rabbits around him in a lively environment. And it’s hard not to notice that the rabbits look super adorable, just like Jung Kook.
This is what one feels after seeing the painting at a single glance. But, what if there’s a deeper meaning or a deeper interpretation? A more complex view of the painting? Let’s try to figure it out.
A certain infamous rabbit, the Easter Bunny, is sometimes reimagined alongside a fear of losing its eggs. Perhaps we could tie this to Jung Kook. Like a rabbit and his eggs, Jung Kook loves ARMY a lot. ARMY has been with him since he was fifteen, and they’ve grown together for nearly a decade now. Many times when the topic of ARMY’s significance has come up, the maknae has shed a few tears, expressing how much he loves us. But, perhaps this is only us hopping to conclusions.
Another interpretation can be that Jung Kook is delicate. As in, he is human, too. He has feelings and he has a heart that feels emotions. Just like a bunny, he is fragile. He might not express or show it, but he too, gets hurt. Also, as the ‘golden maknae’ he tries to mold himself to what we want him to be, which is possibly reflected in the golden tones of the painting. He continually strives to exceed his limits, and ARMY can see how he always wants to reach perfection in everything he does.
Perhaps this could serve as a reminder to both us and him. Jungkook should not have to feel as though he must maintain a facade of perfection. Making mistakes is only human; having voice cracks is fine, and not wearing oneself out while racing after that unachievable goal of perfection is something to be encouraged. We, as ARMYs, should also learn to love Jung Kook for who he is and not for some false image that the internet has cobbled together from decade-old memes and expectations.
That was all for the deconstruction of Jung Kook’s Cottontail, by James Jean!
Ending Ment
As an artist, James Jean has created his own narratives for each of the BTS members and presented those through the eight paintings in his series, "Seven Phases." As the writers, we have explored these two paintings, "Violane," and "Cottontail" through our own interpretations. We invite you, as the reader, to do the same.
DISCLAIMER: We do not own any audio & visual content in this video except for the editing. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNERS. No copyright infringement intended.
Written By: LP & Ruqayya
Edited By: Vera
Checked By: Aury
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