“C'mon y’all moonchild, moonchild
That's supposed to be
Yeah all the pain, all the sorrow
That's your destiny, see”
Intro
A Moonchild is someone who’s born under the astrological sign of Cancer. But, one doesn’t need to be an astrologer to know the definition of Moonchild. A Moon Child is kind of a misfit in a dull society, thereby creating their muse, looking for ways to escape their grim reality.
Namjoon’s Moonchild acted as a tribute to every soul, suffering under the pretense of living that good life. Mono, and hence Moonchild, was born out of the agony that Namjoon felt at that point in his life. Taking over as a leader and the desperate need to prove your worth at the tender age of sixteen, comes with its fair share of psychological repercussions. This impact was evident in his choice of colors, his lyrics, as well as his unparalleled wisdom.
Moonchild as Namjoon
James Jean was quick to pick up on this chain of thought and incorporate it in his painting: Moonchild. Subtitled as the “Guardian of the Night”, Jean rightly dubs Namjoon as a guardian and protector, through his artwork. Namjoon’s Moonchild acknowledges the hardships, the loneliness, the day-to-day struggles that would have an adverse impact on one’s mental health, and attempts at turning these struggles into a reason to survive. Moonchild addresses the importance of nighttime for many because when the world sleeps and the Sun goes down, a Moonchild is finally able to shine, much like the moon.
In the painting, the moon is a very apparent element. Beneath the moon, is the Guardian, with its wings long as the night. Jean very poignantly draws water droplets seeping through the wings. Perhaps these are tears, shed by the big, hypnotizing eyes in the wings.
“It's okay to shed the tears
But don't you tear yourself”
The artist does an impeccable job blending Namjoon’s song into his artwork. It almost looks like the wings of the Guardian are absorbing the sadness that lingers in the night, the loneliness that the night wind carries with it, helping and stopping all the Moonchilds around from tearing themselves apart.
The Guardian can be seen mounted on a bird. Birds are symbolic of hope and freedom. It’s almost like Jean is acknowledging people’s own ways of finding freedom, hopes, and dreams. Freedom that is attained under the moon, and not the sun. It addresses the struggles and efforts that lie unnoticed and uncared for.
The Guardian is extremely symbolic of Namjoon as the leader and protector of BTS. Being the group’s leader, Namjoon, aka RM, was propelled to mature emotionally ahead of his group. He had to understand his responsibilities and abide by them. One of them was to protect the boys- which I am sure must have come naturally to him. Protecting is another word for taking in criticism for another person’s sake and making the tough decisions, alone. However, it would be a lie to state that Namjoon was always alone on the journey. If he was aware of his responsibilities as the leader, the boys were as much aware of their role to be the obeying and supporting confidants and family. It’s true that RM perhaps fought a lonely battle till the members were ready to join the battlefield; but once they did, the war was never won by anyone else since then.
The Group as Garden
Garden is the center art piece of the seven phases exhibition. The art piece has seven main flowers which embody each member’s flower spirit. James Jean fuses contemporary subjects with aesthetic techniques inspired by traditional Chinese scroll paintings, Japanese woodblock prints, and Renaissance portraiture. With James Jean’s style of art and the personalities of the BTS members, this painting has a deeper meaning than simply being a floral art piece. Let’s dive into what this art piece means according to our interpretation.
In the Garden (2020), introduced through HYBE exhibition, BTS members themselves became floral spirits flowing through a dreamscape. Through an environment where humans and nature harmonize, the members become beings that give new life through an unfurling of flowers. Surrounded by chrysanthemums, peonies, and lotuses that evoke birth, the image of the entire garden depicts the happiest and most beautiful moments in life just like a garden in bloom. Chrysanthemums depict friendship and wisdom, while peonies depict prosperity and love. Lotuses depict purity, enlightenment, and self-regeneration. Each flower completes the image of the garden which is a dreamscape with friendship, wisdom, prosperity, love, and enlightenment.
Flowers bring a touch of eternity, joy, and beauty which lie beyond the sorrows and cares of the human world. Now, apart from the color, fragrance, beauty of form, and texture of a flower, there is something more: an aspiration, an emanation, an aspect, a psychic giving, wordless prayers of nature, and a progress in the evolution of the Earth. All these attributes together form the spiritual significance of a flower. A conscious and intimate relationship with flowers can give an experience of communion with the divine and awakens the true consciousness in us.
James Jean takes cue from BTS’ famous song, “The Truth Untold.” The song “전하지 못한 진심” (The Truth Untold) translates to “sincerity that couldn’t be delivered.” The song not only has connections to BU but it also can be interpreted to represent BTS’ struggles over the years. Similarly, as we have seen in earlier blogs, each spirit made by James Jean is a representation of the member.
The seven spirits emerging from the flowers are the Moonchild (RM), Narcissus (Jin), MeowTide (SUGA), Solaria (j-hope), Champignon (Jimin), Violane (V), and Cottontail (Jung Kook), who welcome us on journey into a beautiful and fantastic world. As the flowers bloom and fall, they become beings that connect and bring continuity to the next generation. Each flower spirit acts as a medium for us to connect to the happiest moments in our lives. Garden takes life's hardships, pain, and confusion and turns it into art. The work portrays the seven members of BTS, who have become a source of strength for countless people who are living through these difficult times together. It is a work designed with a dreamy interpretation.
If you merge all the sketches of BTS as Flower spirits, you’ll get the Latin expression “solve et coagula”. It is derived from “solve,” meaning to break down and separate, while “coagula” describes the process of bringing elements back together (coagulating) into a new, higher form. Interestingly, “solve et coagula“ is a wonderful psychological metaphor: by pursuing the Gold inside of us (or listening to an intuitive “higher calling”), we “break down” limiting parts within us that are in the way of our transformation (Philosopher’s Stone) into a free and whole being (coagulation). Which leads us to the interpretation that The Guardian Angel (Namjoon) is the solution to the coagulation (BTS) where all the individual members are responsible for certain positive energies. Just like without one member, BTS is incomplete; without any one piece of art, the entire artwork is incomplete.
Outro
All these beautiful art pieces by James Jean perfectly depict how BTS is incomplete without each member. Each member brings a different aura to the group and has their own energy which draws us into a dreamscape.
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: Ananya & Yatri
Edited By: Mheer
Checked By: Esma
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