'Champignon' - Jimin
One might wonder what this term signifies and why it was chosen as the title for Jimin's work? First and foremost, let’s find out what “Champignon” is.
This fancy title is actually a French word for Agaricus bisporus, or white button mushroom, a Matsutake family edible mushroom. The shape of this mushroom is exactly how James Jean painted it on his Jimin’s Champignon piece. A discussion amongst ARMYs resulted in an interesting point about how this could have been influenced by the blue mold referenced in Jimin's "Serendipity."
Blue mold is also a fungus that grows on food, particularly bread and citrus fruit, and sometimes can also be found growing on household materials, producing penicillin, a.k.a an antibiotic; Jimin mentioned about someone saving his life in the song by being his blue mold. But, aside from him being saved in the “Serendipity” song, lots of ARMYs have mentioned how Jimin has saved their life.
Compliments, encouragement, and consolation in the form of action of words flowing freely from his soft-spoken self, not to mention how thoughtful he is at times, not just towards BTS, but also towards ARMY.
James Jean subtitled this piece with “The Beginning of Vitality.” With his sculpted unique features, unrivaled voice, diversity in dancing, and the way he carries himself, Jimin has established himself as a world-class muse of many artists across the world. Illustrator Lee. K, pop artist Alejandro Vigilante, artist Kildren, graffiti artist WEZT, Saudi Arabian artist Hajer, and Rubik’s cube artist Alexander Ivanchak are some of them.
As part of the dance and vocal line, Jimin plays a vital role in BTS. Years of training in martial arts, such as Judo, Kendo, and Taekwondo (where he owns a black belt), as well as years of expertise in modern dance and later hip hop style dance, have allowed Jimin to develop a unique body language and dance form that no one else can match. From head to toe, right down to the tips of his fingers, everything is flawlessly moved and formed to the extent that nothing looks out of place when his dance videos are randomly paused.
Years of hard work are clearly visible in his performances. He is able to "Jimin-ify" any type of dance by combining his martial arts and dance experience in such a way that it becomes his own. It’s crucial to note that switching or adding a dance style—like Jimin did after years of studying contemporary dance—is not something one can master in a short period of time, as each dance style has its own qualification.
It’s possible for someone who switches or adds a new style to become confused and even mess up their dancing line. What Jimin possesses now is not only pure talent, but also years of hard work and dedication.
Along with perfecting his dancing, Jimin is also known for practicing a vocal technique. His voice, which is considered high for a male singer, has been praised by several vocal coaches. Jimin's voice technique was explained by Sam Scott-Thorne, a Glasgow-based vocal teacher, in his YouTube video. Falling into the tenor range, everything that Jimin does while singing is directed and pointed to his uvula at the back of his throat. His tongue is drawing toward the uvula, with his palatal velum coming down, and his larynx high, giving a high and gentle nasality sound. This results in his voice giving a sense of contentment and security.
With all the explanations above, “The Beginning of Vitality” is indeed the perfect way to describe this Busan man. Park Jimin, not only as a caring and big-hearted member, but also as a talented performer, is a huge asset to BTS with his dancing and vocal skills.
'Solaria' - Hoseok
Described by the Seoul Tourism Organization as an artist “who creates fantastic and whimsical art,” James Jean created the fourth art piece to be explored in our Summer Series: “BTS in ART – ART in BTS,” dedicated to Jung Hoseok, also known as J-Hope.
Titled Solaria and dubbed “the source of light,” both the title and the imagery of this painting capture the aesthetics of hope, life, and positivity. These attributes have become the mainstay of J-Hope’s persona (and personality) within BTS.
Another symbol of transformation and hope is the butterfly image that features throughout Solaria. Delicate by nature, butterflies pass through several stages of metamorphosis before each grows into its own distinct beauty. Hoseok (along with the other BTS members) has experienced this firsthand, as he has continued to grow and evolve over the past decade as an idol and artist within the K-pop and music industries, and as a young man. At the center is a majestic creature, resplendent in its blue hues and rainbow-colored splashes, very much reminiscent of J-Hope’s BT21 character, Mang.
Ironically, in the past, J-Hope was often criticized by netizens for his looks; however, as this painting cleverly depicts, J-Hope’s source of light is himself – both the light that shines within and the light that emanates from him. This, too, was one of the central themes of James Jean’s “Seven Phases” series: the notion that only by looking within ourselves will we be able to “face and overcome the dark things that exist within all of us.” The fact that there is light indicates that there is also darkness, and we see this faintly in the dark tinges of an orange shadow cast by the horse on the ground. The two are a necessary ingredient of life.
Intrinsic to life is the presence of plants and flowers represented in this painting. New life and innate potential are also hinted at with the image of an egg in the bottom right corner. In its entirety, Solaria is a tribute to the beauty and symbolism of hope and testament to who J-Hope has become for ARMYs throughout the world and for his fellow BTS members.
Final Comment
What we have shared here are our interpretations of Champignon and Solaria based on our own knowledge and understanding of art. Without an artist’s commentary to confirm their intentions behind each of the paintings, we can only speculate, imagine, and speak about what we feel. We invite you 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: RAM & Mama
Edited By: Esma & Anna
Checked By: Vera
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