Protected: Painter Of The Night: Yoon Seungho’s secrets (second version)
Tag: Chapter 11
Painter Of The Night: Baek Na-Kyum’s mouth 💋📣
This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night/
Since I spent so much time on the analysis “Conscious versus unconscious, part 1”, I decided to write something quite short so that I can rest and gather some strength for the second part which will be long in my opinion. That’s why in this essay, I’ll focus on different scenes from the first and second season where the protagonists’ hand and mouth played a huge role. Consequently we can observe the characters’ progression and determine the nature of Baek Na-Kyum’s mouth and its relationship to Yoon Seungho’s hand.
First, I would like to compare both slaps.
(chapter 11)
(chapter 53). Notice that although these drawings are illustrating the same gesture, the perspective diverges. In the first one, the focus is on the lord, while in the second, the recipient of the slap is in the center. Why did Byeonduck switch the perspective? I could use my earlier explanation that in chapter 53, the creator wanted to let the noble appear as a vengeful ghost and not as a human. However, there exist other explications.
First, the change of perspective reflects the evolution of Yoon Seungho’s personality. In chapter 11, he was acting on his own negative emotions hence we could judge him as self-centered and selfish. His anger was triggered by the ruined painting and the painter’s words hence with his slap, he wanted to shut his mouth. He refused the artist’s point. He didn’t pay attention to the artist’s feelings. On the other hand, in chapter 53, the noble has already put the painter as his first priority because he is acting on the artist’s behalf. With the change of the perspective, it helps the readers to feel the lord’s heartache, when he realizes what he has just done. He hurt the servant because he disliked seeing Baek Na-Kyum mistreated and insulted, yet the latter got hurt. That’s why the author zooms on the lord’s gaze, the moment he witnesses the result of his action. 
(chapter 53) The gaze, the mirror of his soul, reveals his shock and agony. The hand hurt the loved one, although it was meant to defend him. At the same time, by putting the painter in the center of the drawing, the author enhances the painter’s bravery. (chapter 53) Just like in the past, he is willing to get hurt if he can protect someone, although the readers are well aware that neither Deok-Jae nor Jung In-Hun deserves such generosity as they have been acting against the main lead behind his back. Notice that during the thrashing, the painter kept asking the lord to stop but the latter had become deaf due to the immense fury he felt before he intervened. His inner emotions were more important that the words coming from the painter’s mouth. The lord could only hear the painter’s words after the warm embrace.
But let’s go back to the comparison. There is another huge difference between the two slaps. This time, the low-born is anticipating to receive the slap, while in the past, he had no idea that his behavior would trigger such a fury. Whereas in chapter 11, due to the perspective, the lord appeared more cruel and selfish, it also intensified his rage and pain. People could feel his immense anger, his unconscious decided to unleash his deeply repressed emotions. That’s why the hand is not visible in this panel but his gaze and face. The hand betrays his inner emotions, but the eyes mirrors his feelings. We have to imagine that until chapter 49, the lord lived as a ghost therefore he repressed all his emotions. That’s why he was so indifferent to people and kept smoking while watching through the window. He was so detached from the world, because he had been controlling his heart all this time. His mind never allowed his heart to feel anything and to express any emotions. The smoke kept his hands and lips busy. That’s the reason why Jihwa could never win the lord’s heart in the end. Yoon Seungho’s mind had decided to keep his distance from anyone, even from his childhood friend.
Now, I’ll compare the meal shared between Baek Na-Kyum and Yoon Seungho. Yes, in the second season, we have a new version of a shared meal. Now, you might wonder where it occurred during the first season: it’s in chapter 23!!
(chapter 23) Note that here the lord is taking away the apple from the painter. He’s eating his frugal meal. Furthermore he stands above him and his gestures clearly indicate that he has been following and observing the artist before eating his fruit. Here, he appears as selfish and self-centered. He takes without asking. This stands so much in opposition to the shared meal in chapter 47. 
(chapter 47) This time, the roles are switched, the aristocrat is willing to renounce to his own meal. Besides, he is also giving up on his own seat to Baek Na-Kyum. In other words, the latter is now the one standing above the aristocrat because it was as if he had become the master, since he is sitting on the lord’s seat. Even the noble reminds him to remain seated so that he can keep eating. This contrast emphasizes so much the powerful protagonist’s huge transformation. He is selfless, benevolent and really caring.
On the other hand, the comparison illustrates the growing closeness between the two figures. Whereas in the chapter 23, he bites in the apple where the low-born bit the fruit, in chapter 47, he puts his finger directly in the painter’s mouth.
(chapter 47) Now, there is a direct contact between them. One might argue that this is related to their sex sessions, which is true. However, let’s not forget that the unconscious is voicing itself through the hands, hence despite the experienced intimacy, his unconscious is still unsatisfied. Therefore in chapter 47, the hand feels the need to touch his mouth. Sure, someone might say that he wants to ensure that the painter is not hurt. However, he could have used his eyes and just look at the mouth. That’s the reason why I feel that the gesture was revealing something else. The hand is expecting something from the mouth! Deep down, the lord is wishing to hear something from the painter but nothing has happened so far. At the same time, observe that the lord is smoking right after. It was as if this gesture (caressing the low-born’s mouth) had bothered him so much that his mind decided to control the hand again. Consequently he starts smoking. He needs to act as if he was indifferent. This explains why right after his mouth is revealing the thoughts of the mind: 
. The smoke is helping him to calm down and control his emotions, yet the mouth can no longer mask the influence of the unconscious because of the choice of words. As you can detect, the use of the smoke is no longer effective. Notice that “hurt, “embrace” belong to the vocabulary field of emotions. So the mouth is not truly rationale. As a conclusion, the mouth is revealing little by little the truth. Furthermore, the hand displays a certain longing: the lord’s unconscious is expecting to hear something from the painter’s mouth. What is it exactly?
In order to understand the new discovery, it is important to remember the analysis “Conscience versus unconscience” where I explained the function of the mouth concerning Yoon Seungho, The mouth embodies the mind and as such the conscious. On the other hand, the lord’s hand is acting on the order of the unconscious. Now, I would like you to pay attention to the following pictures: 
(chapter 11)
(chapter 12)
(chapter 26)
(chapter 31)
(episode 48)
What do these pictures have in common? The lord’s hand and the painter’s mouth. Yoon Seungho’s hand is always close to the Baek Na-Kyum’s mouth. If you pay attention, you’ll detect that his hand is slowly moving away from the artist’s mouth. While in chapter 11 and 26, he covered it up with his hand as he couldn’t bear hearing the truth, little by little, the hand is moving away from the artist’s mouth so that in chapter 48, the hand is now more on the throat than on the mouth. This illustrates that the lord has slowly got used to the painter’s mouth and as such his words. He could slowly get used to the low-born’s honesty and sincerity. This explicates why the master is more and more caring towards the painter. Yet, in chapter 47, 
his mind didn’t allow his mouth to become emotional and confess his love to the painter.
I could have picked more of these images, yet I feel with this high amount of drawings it is enough to confirm my observation. Nevertheless notice that in chapter 12, Yoon Seungho’s hand is caressing the painter’s lips and as such the mouth. This drawing is important as it reveals that his unconscious is treasuring the artist’s mouth and lips. This explains why he kisses the painter more and more. The painter’s mouth and as such his lips are so precious to him, although Baek Na-Kyum’s mouth keeps hurting him with his words. Why? From my point of view, his eyes noticed the honesty in the painter’s face, despite the lie he told him during their first meeting. For the first time, his gaze met someone so transparent and honest, hence he could only treasure him and his mouth. Since I have already stipulated that Baek Na-Kyum serves as a mirror, then I have come to the following conclusion:
Baek Na-Kyum is the mirror of the truth and his mouth reveals the truth.
Remember two things. The mirror has the following functions:
- to perceive his true self and personality;
- to predict the future
- to reveal the past
- reveal desires and illusions
- beauty, vanity and superficiality
- truth, reality and as such wisdom
The first purpose of the mirror is visible during the sex marathon. Here, the painter is confronted with his true identity. Then we have in chapter 28 the vision in the mirror reflecting the artist’s deepest desires and the future. With Jiwha, the author used the mirror as an illustration for beauty, vanity and superficiality (chapter 3 and 41). And now, Baek Na-Kyum is the mirror of the truth and brutal honesty, just like in the fairy tale Snow White. Remember how the Queen reacted to the reality. She tried to kill her rival but she never destroyed the mirror as she treasured it. We could say that Yoon Seungho is acting like the Queen from Snow White, but unlike in the fairy tale, the rival is Jung In-Hun, a vicious and double-faced man. Despite the heartache, the master is hoping to hear something positive, something about himself and about the painter. If the latter confesses to him, the lord will be able to love himself. As long as the artist views him as a man consumed by lust, he can only see himself as such and detest his own image. Just like the Queen in Snow White, the protagonist keeps asking the commoner and each time the “mirror” keeps rejecting him: 
But the painter’s mouth is telling the brutal truth. The lord has never confessed to him hence it is a lie that Yoon Seungho loves him. At some point, the Queen gets defeated by Snow White, however I am not expecting the same ending here. The lord will be forced to confess. He has to be reveal his true emotions if he wants to hear a love confession from the artist. We shouldn’t forget that the artist works as a mirror. The moment Yoon Seungho declares his affection to the painter, the latter will reciprocate his feelings because he will mirror his emotions.
My readers might have not forgotten that I often wrote that the painter was brutally honest, especially at the pavilion 
(chapter 25) and in that bathroom. Each time, he spoke, his sincerity hurt the lord. With his words, the artist confronted Yoon Seungho with reality. The lord could no longer lie to the painter and to himself: the love confession was addressed to someone else and he knew that. I could even say that the slap in chapter 11 was a violent reaction because with the ruined paintings and with his words (refusal of working for him), he had rejected Yoon Seungho which the unconscious could not accept. Hence the constant rejection was always very painful for the lord, the painter’s mouth kept wounding his heart, the unconscious, since the conscious was denying the existence of any feeling. Baek Na-Kyum’s mouth is the mirror of the truth. The lord’s conscious has to accept the crude honesty: he is in love with Baek Na-Kyum. As long as he continues denying it, his unconscious and heart will always be wounded by the painter’s mouth. That’s why he needs to stop denying this. Simultaneously, this explains why the artist’s mouth has a calming effect in chapter 53 
. For the first time, the painter’s mouth is showing concern and care. There is no rejection, the artist’s voice and words let transpire feelings which the unconscious has been longing for a very long time. That’s why in that moment, the lord can’t help touching the painter’s cheek and white head-band. The unconscious has finally received something it had been longing: acceptance and warmth. But this is just a brief victory as the moment is ruined by Min’s appearance. However, through this examination, it became obvious that Yoon Seungho needed to confess first. And this observation was proven correct. Yoon Seungho admitted his attachment to the painter in chapter 55.
Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for topics or manhwas, feel free to ask. If you enjoyed reading it, retweet it or push the button like. My Reddit-Instagram-Tumblr-Twitter account is: @bebebisous33. Thanks for reading and for the support, particularly, I would like to thank all the new followers and people recommending my blog.
Painter Of The Night: 🖤 Black Heart (part 2) 🖤
This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night/
It would be great if you could make some donations/sponsoring: Ko-fi.com/bebebisous33 That way, you can support me with “coffee” so that I have the energy to keep examining manhwas. Besides, I need to cover up the expenses for this blog.
In the first part, I examined the beginning of chapter 52 very closely so that I could give a better portray of Min, the so-called “Black Heart”. Consequently I came to the following results: Min approached Yoon Seungho with the intent to overthrow the alpha from his “throne”. He used his connections among the nobility to get intelligence about the main lead and then he approached him. Furthermore he influenced the aristocrats to generate rumors so that Yoon Seungho’s reputation would be destabilized (chapter 33 / chapter 43). Although Min is a manipulator, he places pleasure and fun in the center of his life. He has no sense of morality as he doesn’t feel any remorse committing wrongdoings (smoking opium so openly, though it is illegal; inciting Jihwa to have the painter killed). He is arrogant and feels entitled due to his social status. Not only commoners are below him but also the other aristocrats from the local nobility. Finally, I could perceive that Min’s information about the protagonist is inaccurate and incomplete as he relies on the nobles’ perceptions and the rumors. The only thing he could witness with his own eyes is the special place Baek Na-Kyum had in the main lead’s heart and mind therefore he believed, he had finally found the main lead’s weakness in order to win this war. Now, it is time to continue studying this character. I’ll start, when the first part ended:
There is another reason why Min doesn’t perceive Yoon Seungho as a madman. In my opinion, he senses a similarity to his own personality. He believes to recognize himself in the infamous seme. Since they share so many things, like for example disregarding social traditions, Min believes he knows how the protagonist thinks. According to Black Heart, Yoon Seungho is also a man prioritizing pleasure and fun over anything else. In other words, the villain only views his rival as “a man consumed by lust”. Sex and lust are definitely connected to joy and fun. Let’s not forget that’s the reason why the main lead became infamous. He never cared about rumors, general opinion and social norms. He did whatever he wanted… exactly like Min. In other words, Min is actually projecting his own thinking into the influential protagonist.
And this time, you can understand why I keep perceiving parallels between the scholar Jung In-Hun and Min. Both make the same mistake. In the chapter 6, Jung In-Hun thought that the rich lord would look down on commoners too. This was in reality the opposite. Black Heart and Black Mind (the scholar) thought that Yoon Seungho was like the rumors describing him: indulged in pleasure and no education. However this is just a misconception. Black Heart is making the monumental mistake not to question the intentions of Yoon Seungho’s daring behavior. He takes his abnormal attitude as face-value. He just thinks, the lord is doing it out of selfishness.
Min is quite amused by the comparison between the infamous hell-raiser and a madman hence he smiles.
(Chapter 52) In my opinion, he must be mocking the other noble. He feels that his fellow is just too stupid and naive. Yet Min is actually overlooking an important aspect. There is an explanation why the other aristocrats are calling the protagonist a lunatic. Yoon Seungho is indeed revolutionary as he rejects social hierarchy and as such criticizes nobility with its privileges. During the 18th Century, libertines were fighting for liberty and equity and this is not surprising that the French revolution began 1789. Remember what I told about libertines, sex was just one aspect in their life, they advocate reforms and changes in the tripartite society, in the rigid social hierarchy. That’s what Black Heart is overlooking, whereas the nobles sensed this aspect but were not able to define it.
This is the reason why I describe the protagonist’s mentality as revolutionary. I doubt that this philosophy was common in Joseon, whereas it was more widespread in Europe due to the rise of the bourgeoisie thanks to the trade with the colonies. There is no ambiguity that our beloved seme is an oddity in Joseon, while Min is just a corrupted libertine like Valmont [see my analysis about Dangerous liaisons]. Black Heart is determined to use his position for his own selfishness and fun, he uses sex as war in order to defeat his enemy. As you can observe, Min is not revolutionary contrary to the main character, since he supports the social hierarchy.
Consequently I come to the conclusion that in this moment, we can witness another flaw in Min’s thinking. The latter assumes that Yoon Seungho is like him, yet this is incorrect. The main lead never paid attention to rumors circulating among the nobility either. That’s why the main lead didn’t intervene during the chapter 33. 
His retreat was not a defeat, he was just ignoring their opinion. Yoon Seungho just saw them as nobodies hence he had no reason to fight back for his reputation, since he never valued his notoriety. What Min perceived as a first victory was nothing in Yoon Seungho’s eyes.
(Chapter 33) Here, he was challenging the lord for the first time. Furthermore like I had already underlined before, the lord created this image of hell-raiser as a shield. Thanks to his bad notoriety, he could deceive people and protect himself. Ecstasy was never his goal unlike Min, since Yoon Seungho desired to divert people’s attention. And based on my theory he never took pleasure in sodomy, he rather forced himself to live up to his bad reputation.
And in this chapter, we witness how successful the protagonist has been with his deception.
(Chapter 52) No noble imagined that the main lead had an interest in government posts. Admittedly, only the readers know the reason why he is sponsoring Jung In-Hun. It happened because of the painter. However, I detect another manipulation here because of the following picture: 
[chapter 11] The noble has always been honest in front of the painter hence his words outline how powerful the main lead is in reality. He already has connections in the government but he never made it public therefore aristocrats thought, he was indulging himself in lust. While he went to sex orgies, he did pay attention to what was happening at the capital, yet he never showed up there due to his trauma. I would even add that he even influenced the government, but always unofficially and indirectly so that people would never make any connection to him. His power seems to be quite important since he proclaims that he can ruin the teacher’s career. This can be also the explication why he even adjoins that he will never get caught with Jung In-Hun’s murder. 
(Chapter 11) He can use his connections in the worst case to cover his misdeed. Nonetheless, I sense that he is also referring to his reputation as a man consumed by lust. As a conclusion, Min has no idea how powerful the noble he is challenging truly is. His judgement is based on the nobles’ reports and hearsay. That’s why Black Heart believes Yoon Seungho is easy to understand, since the rumor is quite simple. To summarize, Min is just another arrogant and stupid fool, overestimating his own abilities and underestimating his opponent. Like one of my readers wrote, Black Heart confuses cunningness with intelligence. Yoon Seungho is not only ruthless but also very smart.
And Min’s stupidity becomes really obvious, when he faces Baek Na-Kyum. He is in the master’s room next to the owner, yet he can’t refrain himself revealing his scheme:
(chapter 52) But this doesn’t stop here. He even confesses Jihwa’s involvement.
(Chapter 52) How can I not judge him stupid? I guess, opium has already confused his mind and reduced his vigilance. He is indeed careless and thoughtless. Besides, in the picture above, I noticed another important detail. He started insulting Jihwa as sodomite. This word “sodomite” reflects his opinion about sodomy as such. He is no homosexual per se, he just uses sodomy to submit the other masters. He is indeed similar to Yoon Seungho in that aspect. Both perceive sex as war, however the powerful noble did it out of resent towards nobility, whereas the other wanted to establish himself as the new ruler among the local aristocracy. Black Heart desired to prove his superiority over the other lords. the main lead had a different goal, it was to tarnish and ruin the image of the nobility. One might argue that the outcome is the same… which is correct, yet due to this, Min jumped to the false conclusion. Min assumed that Yoon Seungho had the same intention.
Striking is that when Min is facing the painter, he acts as if he was the owner of that place. He opens the door, questions the artist
and takes the painting away from the low-born’s hands. In that scene, he has no right, as he is just a guest. Nevertheless, Min acts like usually: shameless and mannerless. In reality, Baek Na-Kyum is not obliged to answer him, for he is only working for Yoon Seungho.
After grabbing the painting, he starts insulting the host.
From my point of view, we should mark this comment as the beginning of his challenge. He is mocking the lord, implying that he is still a man consumed by lust. He underlines that the lord didn’t practice restraint, quite the opposite. He even dared to have sex with a commoner. What an affront for all the nobles! He is such a scandalous man, showing again no regard to normal standards and common sense. Min is here attacking the powerful lord.
From my point of view, this scene should be read from three different perspectives in order to grasp the significance of this scene. While many readers were upset to witness how Yoon Seungho kissed the vicious noble in front of Baek Na-Kyum, it is relevant to remember the intentions of Min and the main lead.
Since Black Heart is attacking him and indirectly the low-born, Yoon Seungho can’t ignore his remark. This time, the insinuation and his bad reputation can affect the painter. Yoon Seungho is well aware of Baek Na-Kyum’s low self-esteem. Remember how embarrassed the painter was at the tailor shop. He feared public opinion and the master knows now that the painter views himself as a prostitute. So this kind of comment could definitely hurt the artist more, even reinforce the bad opinion Baek Na-Kyum has about the owner of the mansion.
What Yoon Seungho doesn’t know is that the low-born has already adopted a new philosophy. Here, the main lead chose to follow the painter’s request
(Chapter 49), but due to the butler’s intervention, the protagonist decided to push the painter away. In his mind, it was the painter’s interest. The latter had just accepted the lord as his partner, as he felt obliged. But this was not entirely correct. Once the artist had admitted that he liked sex thanks to Yoon Seungho, this means that he had adopted this new philosophy. Furthermore the distance and separation helped the artist to realize that his lover had more meaning in his life than he had realized it before. Even in this chapter, the change is quite visible. 
(Chapter 52) The painter gets upset with the kiss but instead of letting his emotions take control of his thoughts, he ponders about the cause of these negative feelings. Why is he upset?
Now, it is time to pay closer attention to the lord’s behavior concerning the kiss. 
(Chapter 52) Notice the appearance of Yoon Seungho’s hand. It is directly put under the noble’s chin. This gesture is not anodine. His intention appears clear to me. He is aiming at his chin in order to mold his mouth. But he can’t make it too obvious, hence he disguises it after that with a kiss. The kiss is to shut Min’s mouth.
Observe the lord’s hand is still grabbing the chin and his mouth is literally devouring Black Heart’s mouth. It was as if he was covering up Min’s mouth. He made sure that he would stop talking. Note Min’s expression. He never expected such a gesture, he thought that the lord wouldn’t retaliate like that, he would retreat. On the other hand, the main lead is not happy, he is actually furious.
There are different explanations for his angry look. He is mad at the noble for hurting the painter with his remarks and for endangering his fragile relationship with Baek Na-Kyum. He is also angry as he had no other possibility to stop Black Heart from mocking him and the artist. Another possibility is that he is well aware that his kiss could affect the low-born, nonetheless he sees no other solution. Another cause for his anger could be that he never expected the painter would show up that night. He had organized something else concerning Min and he never predicted Baek Na-Kyum’s visit, complicating his plan. Another possibility is that he got upset to see that the low-born was wearing his former clothes and his white headband again. This could give the impression to the noble that his plan “distancing himself from the low-born” didn’t help him to improve his relationship in the long run. It had the opposite effect. He got upset that his subterfuge “keeping his distance from the painter” didn’t work like expected. He hoped to protect the low-born as he knew what was going around him and now with the painter’s appearance, his plan gets ruined. As you can conclude, a single gaze can have so many different significations. All this proves to me that the lord is far more complex than Min thinks. Even the painter noticed it, he compares the lord to a mystery.
The first impressions the manhwaphiles had about this scene were negative. They saw the lord cheating on the painter as he was kissing another man in the commoner’s presence. I was even myself speechless for a moment. However, if you look more closely, you’ll notice that there is no real kiss. On the first picture above, the lord was covering Black Heart’s mouth with his mouth wide open. And in the other drawings, only their tongues are touching other and their mouths are wide open too. Their lips don’t truly touch each other, their eyes are not closed either. As a conclusion, what we are witnessing is here neither sex nor lust but a battle. Therefore they have to focus their gaze on the opponent. They are fighting with their tongues. Their organs are their weapons. Notice that no tongue is able to enter the mouth of the other. Entering the mouth would signify defeat. Min had started the fight with his mockeries and Seungho had to react as the painter was present and could be hurt by these vicious remarks. From my perspective, Yoon Seungho is still very protective of the painter. He will use every possible mean in order to defend him, even if this solution seems weird on the surface. Compare these kisses to the one he had with the painter: 
(chapter 46) What a difference! Min dared to challenge his host and this time, Yoon Seungho didn’t remain passive or retreat. He accepted the defy. This is what I take away from this scene.
That’s it for today. In the next essay, I’ll analyse the conversation in the lord’s chamber. This might have a different title.
Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for topics or manhwas, feel free to ask. If you enjoyed reading it, retweet it or push the button like. My Reddit-Instagram-Tumblr-Twitter account is: @bebebisous33. Thanks for reading and for the support, particularly, I would like to thank all the new followers and people recommending my blog.
Painter Of The Night: 🖤 Black Heart (part 1) 🖤
This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night/
It would be great if you could make some donations/sponsoring: Ko-fi.com/bebebisous33 That way, you can support me with “coffee” so that I have the energy to keep examining manhwas. Besides, I need to cover up the expenses for this blog..
In chapter 52, the manhwalovers witness the return of Min who dared to challenge Yoon Seungho on different occasions during the first season (chapter 33 and 41). In my two analyses about Min, I had described him as someone ambitious, jealous and manipulative thereby I started considering him as a villain for the second season. The lord with a green robe is led by his desire to overthrow the protagonist and to replace him as the new alpha among the local nobility. Thanks to this chapter, we definitely get to discover new sides of this villain called “Black Heart”.
But it is time to dedicate to chapter 52. In the beginning of this episode, we see Min smoking with a huge smile on his face. 
(Chapter 52)
He seems to enjoy it very much. However, to our shock, we discover that this aristocrat is smoking opium, a very addictive narcotic drug which was very popular among Chinese back then. Yet, you have to know that in reality opium trade was in the hands of British dealers. Already in 1729, the Qing emperor Yongzheng even forbade opium but this interdiction was useless as British merchants continued flooding the market of Qing dynasty with this drug, made possible by corrupted officials. Consequently during the 19th Century, according to historians, there existed around 12 millions Chinese addicted to opium so that the economy was affected. The high number of opium addicts forced the 8th emperor of Qing Dynasty Daogang to ask his Prime minister to confiscate opium from British sellers leading to the First Opium War between Great-Britain and Qing Dynasty (1839-1842). This info is quite relevant as it helps the readers to understand better the story. This explains why opium is imported from Qing and secondly why Min shouldn’t smoke it in the street. First, since Min shouldn’t smoke it in the street, I assume, opium was still forbidden so that we can conclude that this trade was certainly smuggled. Since Joseon was a vassal state of Qing, I assume that opium wasn’t legal in Joseon either. In other words, Min and his fellows are committing a crime.
Nonetheless, I deduce another info from this scene. Min is not the one who bought the opium but the other noble, for Black Heart asks him about the nature of the “tobacco”. Yet Min smokes it as if he owns it. From this single observation, I come to the interpretation, Black Heart is a profiteer and opportunist. He can enjoy opium without spending a high amount of money as his fellow was the one who bought it. He likes taking things from others, acts as if people around him were indebted to him hence he has the right to claim things from other aristocrats. As you can observe, Min is not just greedy and jealous of Yoon Seungho, he treats the other masters the same way.
The third observation is that Black Heart shows a disregard to others and especially to low-born. He doesn’t care if people see him smoking opium as he considers commoners as nobodies. This proves that Min believes, he is above the law as he is a noble. He shows no concern for his reputation, since he doesn’t fear any repercussion. No low-born will report him for smoking opium. On the other hand, he is not pleased to hear from the master with the khaki robe that he has to stop smoking the opium. He follows the fellow’s suggestion, however he can’t help himself criticizing him for his remark: “Do you have to be so difficult..?”. His comment is interesting because it indicates how Min views his companion, he is a killjoy. This reveals how much fun signifies to Black Heart. That’s why he likes manipulating people and even incited Jihwa to have the painter killed. This wasn’t just because he wanted to hurt Yoon Seungho and establish himself as the new king. He takes pleasure using people as his puppets. This was already palpable in the chapter 43,
(chapter 43) but this signification is reinforced with this chapter. To summarize, Min treats everyone as pawns, including nobles. This outlines his arrogance. He considers himself as a puppet master, a great mastermind hence he is superior to everyone, including Yoon Seungho.
Then, we see how the noble with the khaki robe leads our villain to the protagonist’s mansion. A single gesture, yet it is so full of signification. The aristocrat is behaving like a servant. He even addresses him as lord Min showing a respect but also a certain distance. Lord Min is treated as if he was superior to him. Yet, the noble doesn’t appear to be affected by his role as underling. He seems to be used to this situation. Therefore I come to the observation that lord Min seems to have imposed himself among nobles. He has become a high authority explaining why his actual position stands in conflict with Yoon Seungho’s.
What caught my attention in this drawing is the role played by Min’s fellows. They are his source of info. That’s how he learns about Yoon Seungho’s sponsorship and Jung In-Hun’s success at the first round of the civil service examination. As you can note, the arrogant noble is relying on his connections among the nobility in order to obtain new info about Yoon Seungho. This is also confirmed later, when he meets the painter at the mansion. He is so surprised to encounter him.
He had heard through nobles that Yoon Seungho had returned to his old self, and had started inviting nobles again. Black Heart explained the lord’s sudden change with the painter’s death. Furthermore, during all this time, the artist was never seen by the guests hence they had come to the conclusion that he had disappeared. So in Min’s mind, his plan had succeeded. This detail is quite important as his sources of information are not reliable. Min can only see and hear what aristocrats witness in the main lead’s presence. Besides, their observations are biased, like the following picture proves it. (Chapter 52) One aristocrat calls the main lead “a madman”. So he is judging the seme based on his perception and knowledge and in my opinion rumors about him played a huge part. All the info collected by the nobles and reported to Min are somehow filtered. They only pay attention to other nobles and to what matters to them. This is important as I believe that they are neglecting the commoners. Since they are low-born, they are nothing in their eyes. This explicates why Min didn’t even bother to ensure that Nameless was indeed hired and he would do his job. He only heard about Nameless through other nobles and maybe even used him too, yet he accepted the rumor about Nameless as truth.
(Chapter 43) Therefore I believe Min defends the values perpetuated among the aristocracy: titles give lords the right to consider themselves superior to commoners and to treat the latter as bugs. Min is the representative of this mentality, for him low-born have no value and no right. They can be killed or be mistreated, this is the normality for him. And this mentality is faulty as Min is neglecting an important factor: commoners. They represent the majority and play a greater role in the masters’ life. The result is that he made a huge mistake because of this source of info. He just relied on his fellows, however I have always said that Yoon Seungho used rumors and has always acted in front of other nobles. In other words, Min has a false image about the main lead and there is no doubt about it.
Pay attention to Min’s statement about the powerful protagonist:
For him, he is easy to read. Black Heart is contradicting his counterpart since he is saying, the main lead is no lunatic. Striking is the expression “watch closely”. This detail is important because it explicates why Min approached Yoon Seungho in the first place. He needed to observe him in person to make his own judgement. He noticed the locked gaze between the main lead and the low-born, he realized the preciousness of Baek Na-Kyum in Yoon Seungho’s life. That’s why I see a confirmation of my previous analysis about Min. He was never an uke in the first place. He had to play this role in order to get close to the protagonist. Therefore he acted like a whore in that chapter 8.
(chapter 8) Furthermore, after having sex one time, he remained by the painter’s side observing his expressions and reactions. He understood what the painter meant to the protagonist.
(Chapter 9) However, his judgement is only partially correct as his perception is also influenced by the reports he received through his connections, like I wrote above. After the two challenges, Min could no longer approach the main lead hence he had to rely on other sources.
But why does Min think like that? He has the impression that the lord is not a deep thinker. Black Heart has no idea that the protagonist read all the books in his library. He thinks, Yoon Seungho is led by his emotions and can’t anticipate people’s moves. He might be merciless towards commoners but he is not really using his violence against other nobles. So far, he has never attacked any aristocrat. He might have humiliated them but that was it. Even after Jihwa got caught, Yoon Seungho only punished the spy but spared his childhood friend. In his mind, the lord is no strategist. He didn’t anticipate that Min would manipulate Jihwa to have the painter murdered. He threatened Jihwa and even Min, yet nothing really happened.
The arrogant mastermind imagined that if something precious to the main character is destroyed, then he would either return to his old self or be devastated. He would never retaliate. He can’t be really in love with a low-born or if he really is, then he will never reveal it. For Min, the famous lord might have been intrigued and attracted by the low-born, yet in reality he is just like them. He is too attached to his social status. Besides, he is just a depraved man so his moves are quite predictable. The lord will never go after another noble because he never did it in the past. Besides, each time Min challenged him, the lord retreated(chapter 33) or left it with a simple thread.
(Chapter 41) Min never took it seriously. He only saw it as an empty menace. The problem is that Min’s perception is mostly influenced by the rumors existing about Yoon Seungho. I doubt, he is aware that the main lead has shadow guards. I even suspect that he never heard Yoon Seungho’s thread made in front of the painter.
Let’s not forget that in this chapter, Yoon Seungho was threatening to murder a noble which is quite daring. From my perspective, the aristocrat wasn’t making any empty thread. He was honest. As you can observe, Min’s words are revealing a lot about his false judgement about the main lead, which could be fatal for him. He believes that he is protected thanks to his title, Yoon Seungho will never dare to oppose him. He is not a real fighter. He became the ruler because of his infamous notoriety and there is nothing real behind it. He always avoided any confrontation.
Striking is that just before he contradicts his fellow, he has a strange reaction. He is looking up at the sky but not at his companion. It was as if his mind was elsewhere. Here, I see another sign of his blindness and arrogance. He doesn’t pay attention to his companions, he doesn’t need to. They are far so inferior to him… how can they perceive Yoon Seungho as a madman? He is so easy to manipulate… you just need to strike the right nerve, and the man will just back off. He will never dare to fight back like in episode 33. The man literally fled, when he was pressured to bring the painter. He is just a man consumed by lust, nothing more. That’s his biggest mistake in the end. He might have perceived Yoon Seungho’s weakness, but he hasn’t truly investigated his personality, his background and his past. More importantly, he is not aware of Yoon Seungho’s true mentality: he hates nobility due to his past suffering. Hence for him titles have no value. Moreover he has no problem to be in contact with commoners. The painter is the best example.
Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for topics or manhwas, feel free to ask. If you enjoyed reading it, retweet it or push the button like. My Reddit-Instagram-Tumblr-Twitter account is: @bebebisous33. Thanks for reading and for the support, particularly, I would like to thank all the new followers and people recommending my blog.
Painter Of The Night: Yoon Seungho’s long fight and struggle (part 1)
This is where you can read the manhwa. https://www.lezhinus.com/en/comic/painter But be aware that this manhwa is a mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes. If you want to read more essays, here is the link to the table of contents: https://bebebisous33analyses.wordpress.com/2020/07/04/table-of-contents-painter-of-the-night/
The chapter 48 marks a turning point in the relationship between the wealthy noble Yoon Seungho and the low-born Baek Na-Kyum. If we look back at the evolution of their bond, we will notice a certain pattern. Everything is related to the scholar’s teaching and the following doctrine based on seven rules:
- The artist can’t be associated to sodomy.
- He is not allowed to paint erotic paintings.
- He can’t admit to be a homosexual.
- He isn’t permitted to have sex with a man.
- He is not allowed to concede that he feels pleasure, when he has an intercourse with a man.
- He is not authorized to question the teacher’s words and actions. He has to obey him blindly.
- He is not permitted to fall in love with another man.
As you can observe, the 7 laws Jung In-Hun imposed on the low-born through the coercive persuasion, the scientific term for “brainwashing” represent the different barriers Yoon Seungho has to overcome. The 7th rule is the final step before removing Jung In-Hun’s indoctrination for good. This is important since it explains why the lord had to fight right from the beginning. Furthermore it explicates why Baek Na-Kyum had chosen Jung In-Hun as his true love. By doing so, the painter would follow the scholar’s rule. He would never have sex with a man, since the teacher hates homosexuality. On the other hand it allowed the artist to remain true to himself. It was his subterfuge to give up on his own identity and personality.
The first barrier: The painter rejected the noble’s offer, when he remembered the main lead’s reputation. He can’t be associated to a sodomite hence he lied about his identity. 
Therefore the seme was forced to take the man with him and pressured him until the painter gave in. He had to admit that painting was his way to survive. Notice that Yoon Seungho cornered him to concede this.
The second wall: The master blackmailed the artist in order to have him worked as his painter, when he noticed that his pressure was short-lived. We shouldn’t forget that the painter tried to flee in the chapter 4. Fortunately, the seme discovered the poem and his admiration for the noble Jung In-Hun. So he used the teacher as leverage. First, he made an offer: paint for me and your learned sir will get a high position. 
(chapter 7) Notice that in order to force the painter to violate the scholar’s rules, the noble had to use stratagems that didn’t require a lot of strength in the beginning: some little menace and the blackmail. Yet, the manhwaphiles can detect that the thread keeps growing as well. The aristocrat already has to use his power (influence and money) in order to corner the painter (chapter 7) which shouldn’t be neglected. It did represent a lot: a roof and free food for the low noble.
Since it wasn’t enough. The powerful main character had to exert his own strength and body to touch the painter’s mind and body. Note that the noble invited 3 nobles to his sex session in the chapter 8 and this is no coincidence. He had to demonstrate his stamina and charisma to arouse Baek Na-Kyum and he did succeed. The artist wished to replace the two ukes thereby he was so excited that he had to masturbate right after.
I am quite sure that the innocent protagonist hadn’t done it before due to the scholar’s preaching. So the chapter 9 marked another progression. Baek Na-Kyum disrespected the rule 3 for the first time on his own. He can’t admit to feel attracted to another man, to be recognized as a sodomite. That’s why the masturbation represented a compromise. Since he was alone, nobody would know about it. As you can detect, little by little Seungho is removing all the rules set by the low aristocrat. But the higher the rules are, the more Yoon Seungho needs to use force.
Let’s take a closer look to this evolution. The increasing use of violence is linked to Jung In-Hun’s presence at Yoon Seungho’s mansion. After being invited to Yoon Seungho’s mansion, the jealous scholar had to remind the commoner of his obligations. 
(rule 2) Surprising is that due to his interaction with the main lead, Baek Na-Kyum had somehow started thinking on his own, using his own critical thinking therefore he reprimanded the rich master for his cruel behavior towards the servant who got killed. In that moment, Jung In-Hun had to put him back to his place. He admonished the painter harshly for his criticism. As a low-born, he was not allowed to make such comment. 
(chapter 10) From my point of view, the chapter 10 not only reveals the huge influence Jung In-Hun has on the painter, but also illustrates the growing influence of Seungho on the artist. The master’s words and actions did shake the rule 6. But it wasn’t enough to remove this wall hence Baek Na-Kyum accepted the low noble’s reproach and remained silence.
Due to the incident with the ruined creation, the commoner got punished. This time, the main lead used his own physical strength directly on the artist (slapping and blocking the painter’s mouth). 
(chapter 11) Compared to the past where he just pushed the low-born away, his gestures in the chapter 11 displays the increasing use of Seungho’s force. But the master felt remorse hence later the painter was only scratched by the master. Nonetheless, let’s not forget that Seungho had already set his eyes on the painter. He wanted to taste the artist. As a first conclusion, the lord had only removed the rule 1 and 2. At the end of the chapter 15, the noble is facing another hindrance, the rule 3: his denial of his homosexuality. Therefore the masturbation in the chapter 16 marks the first step in order to destroy the rule 3. Notice that the noble was annoyed, when the artist gave the false excuse that he was tired in order to avoid the noble. So he somehow “attacked” Baek Na-Kyum by hugging him and grabbed his penis. 
(chapter 16) Let’s not forget that he didn’t ask for the commoner’s permission. That’s why the painter cried in that scene. The latter knew that he was violating the rule 3, yet the seme saw that Baek Na-Kyum was aroused and felt pleasure.
Since the lord knew about Baek Na-Kyum’s affection for his teacher (chapter 7), he was well aware that he needed to wait for the right opportunity. When the main character witnessed the fight between the low-born and Jung In-Hun
(chapter 19), he was already on his guard waiting for a signal which appeared in the form of the stolen bottle. He seized the opportunity to meddle between Jung In-Hun and Baek Na-Kyum. He needed to squash in between these two men.
So when he appeared in front of the painter, the artist was hallucinating because he had revealed to his scholar that he had broken the rule 2. Besides, he was violating the law 6. We shouldn’t forget that from the chapter 8 on, the painter started disobeying the low noble. First he justified his violation by claiming that this was for the scholar’s sake. Then in the chapter 10, he expressed his own mind in front of the teacher, however it concerned Yoon Seungho. Finally in the chapter 19, we see the painter for the first time talking back to his “master”.
He rejects the teacher’s criticism that he was the one who seduced the main lead. Pay attention that the low-born voiced his own thoughts for the second time in front of the arrogant “peacock”. As the manhwaworms can sense, the rule 6 is more and more shaken, the longer Baek Na-Kyum is living under Yoon Seungho’s roof.
Striking is that their “first night” represents a violation of the rule 3 and 4. This explains why Baek Na-Kyum has every reason to deny the presence of Yoon Seungho in his chamber. By acting as if he was delirious, the painter found a subterfuge in order to deny his homosexuality and his love for a man. This was supposed to be addressed to the scholar, yet the painter was well aware that the scholar would never accept him at all. That’s why the readers get images from Baek Na-Kyum’s perspective and it is quite clear that the artist never saw Jung In-Hun. 
(chapter 21) In fact, he was attempting to deceive himself and the noble. During their night, Baek Na-Kyum was well aware that this could only remain a dream because if he admitted it as a reality, then this would signify that he was conceding his own sexual orientation and even his attraction to Yoon Seungho which he felt very early on (chapter 2, 6, 8-9, 13-16). Therefore I come to the conclusion that the artist somehow knew what happened during that night but chose to act as if the noble was Jung In-Hun. Later he repressed his memories and even ignored them so that he would act as if he was still following the teacher’s doctrines.
(chapter 21).
As a conclusion, from the chapter 1 to 21, the rules 1 and 2 were removed, whereas the laws 3 and 6 were just shaken. This is important because it justifies why the noble has to use more and more force in order to get what he wants.
However, their first night marks a pivotal moment for the noble as well. While in the past, the main reason for inciting the artist to break the rules set by Jung In-Hun was rationalized by the main lead’s desire to have erotic paintings, the motivation started shifting, the master felt more and more attracted to the artist. We could say that the reason for Seungho to pressure the painter was the noble’s libido till the chapter 20. The moment the protagonist feels love for the first time, his motivation changes. He is no longer looking for a sexual satisfaction but for warmth and affection. The discovery of Baek Na-Kyum’s purity left a huge impact on him.
In the chapter 21, Yoon Seungho made love for the first time. He experienced something totally new. For the first time, he had an intercourse with a virgin and they made love. Secondly Baek Na-Kyum had kept his chastity because he was determined to remain faithful to his love Jung In-Hun. Since the low-born was deeply in “love” (For me, this is not a real love) with his teacher, it was as if he had made a vow of fidelity and chastity. Yoon Seungho discovered someone so pure and innocence, although the latter painted erotic images and came from a brothel. Imagine what the lord must have felt. He met someone so pure despite his filthy surroundings hence he stands so much in contradiction to Jihwa. The red-haired noble never confessed his love to his childhood friend and he never said that he kept his virginity for him, out of love. In the painter’s chamber, 
(chapter 21) Yoon Seungho heard a love confession, got hugged and kissed tenderly and there was someone crying out of happiness because of him. For the first time, he saw that tears could be related to happiness and he could affect someone positively. That’s why he reacted by kissing the painter’s eye and tears. 
(chapter 21) Although he knew that it was just an illusion because Baek Na-Kyum had confessed to someone else, he hoped deep down that the painter would love him, if he remembered their night today. He tried to trigger his memory through different tricks (like here with the book) 
but he failed (chapter 23). Yet he showed a certain patience as he didn’t pressure the artist to paint their night immediately, he gave him time. He imagined that once Baek Na-Kyum remembered their night and painted it, it will become a reality, a proof that this was not an illusion. But because of the coercive persuasion, Baek Na-Kyum tried to repress his memory. He had to if he wanted to keep following the scholar’s rules. The painter chose to ignore the images he had since it meant that he hadn’t kept his vow. All this time, Yoon Seungho has no idea about the true nature of the relationship between Jung In-Hun and the low-born. First, he believes to see it as a crush, then he witnesses the depth of the painter’s feelings. This is important because from that moment, the main motivation for the lord will be love and no longer his libido. This will be his goal which will give him the necessary strength to remove the other rules: 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.
Yoon Seungho imagined that since he took the painter’s virginity, the latter would give up on his love and focus on him, but it didn’t happen. The painter had to as he had been formatted to respect the teacher’s doctrines. That’s why even when the lord forced himself on the artist, the commoner still whispered the scholar’s name.
(chapter 25) The rape represented the ultimate use of violence which kept increasing from the start. But the noble failed as he was not able to remove the rule 4, 5 and 6. Yet he did achieve something which I’ve realized only now. For the first time, Baek Na-Kyum was admitting that he loved a man and he could no longer the excuse that he was under the influence of the alcohol. So at the pavilion, the artist violated the law 3 (being a homosexual) as he confessed his love for Jung In-Hun.
That’s it for today. I’ll write the second part later.
Feel free to comment. If you have any suggestion for topics or manhwas, feel free to ask. If you enjoyed reading it, retweet it or push the button like. My reddit-Instagram-tumblr-twitter account is: @bebebisous33. Thanks for reading and for the support, particularly, I would like to thank all the new followers and people recommending my blog.
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Dignity (second version)
Protected: Painter Of The Night: The importance of the headband
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Baek Na-Kyum, a crybaby? (second version)
Painter Of The Night/ A Painter Behind The Curtain: The difficult life of painters
This is where you can read the manhwas. https://www.lezhin.com/en/comic/painter https://www.tappytoon.com/comics/painter-behind-curtainm. But be aware that these manhwas are mature Yaoi, which means, it is about homosexuality with explicit scenes, although there is a softer version for “A Painter Behind The Curtain”. Here is the link, if you are interested in more analyses about this manhwa and others https://bebebisous33analyses.com/2021/06/06/table-of-contents-of-analyzed-mentioned-manhwas/
If you have already read the analysis about “Traces of “Dangerous liaisons” and “Justine: The Misfortunes of Virtue”, you know why I am now using the other manhwa “A Painter Behind The Curtain” created by Munamu. Both works have a lot in common, not only the historical setting but also the story as such. Both stories have a painter as a protagonist and the latter share a similar fate: a lot of suffering.
Since many are not familiar about A Painter behind the Curtain, I’ll just give a short summary. The story has 70 chapters but only 26 have been released in English. The main character is Ian Sconel, a talented painter who was sold as a child by his father to the Bardis, as soon as Mr. Bardi recognized his talents.
Since The Bardis have a long tradition of painters in their family, the father wanted to use the young boy’s talents in order to maintain the family’s reputation and their high lifestyle as renowned painters for the aristocracy. Mr. Bardi let his buyers think that his second son Jeremy was the genius one, whereas Ian Scornel was the one who created all the masterpieces. That’s why the author chose the title “behind the curtain”, as he painted the whole time hidden from the eyes of the others. The title is also referring to the meeting of Ian Sconel and the other protagonist, Mr. Raymond.
If we compare the two artists, we will notice that despite the different location (Italy-Joseon) both come from the bottom of the society. That’s the reason why the two men are illiterate.
(chapter 40)Moreover the two felt the need to paint all the time as children.
chapter 1
Although they were both passionate about painting, Baek Na-Kyum’s drawings were limited to one subject: erotic pictures of sodomy. The difference is quite easy to understand: Baek Na-Kyum was raised at a gisaeng house, where sex was a common thing. Besides, this also outlines that the korean boy knew right from the start about his sexual orientation. For Ian, we discover that Mr. Bardi is sexually abusing him. So his homosexuality wasn’t determined right from the start. Little by little, Ian falls in love with Mr. Raymond because the latter treats him so well. But since servants confessing their love to Mr. Raymond are immediately fired, Ian has to hide his feelings for him. Baek Na-Kyum has also to hide his feelings in front of the lord, or better said, he has to fight against his repressed sexual desires
(chapter 6), as he has been manipulated by the teacher Jung In-Hun that homosexuality is something filthy and immoral.
(chapter 34)
The other common denominator is that the two men became victims of rape,
(chapter 26) even if Ian was sexually abused quite often as he spent many years at the Bardis before getting “rescued” by Mr. Raymond.
Notice that during the rape, Ian has to listen to Mr. Bardi’s words that the latter is his benefactor, since he gives him the opportunity to paint and he has a roof over his head. All this leaves deep scars in the painter’s mind which explains why later he refuses to paint any longer.
The blond haired man vows not to paint any longer as he saw it as the cause for his misery and suffering, while Baek Na-Kyum was coerced by Jung In-Hun to abandon paintings due to the sodomy. The two painters have at some point kept their distance from their passion.
But let’s go back to Ian’s paintings. Ian is forced to paint what Bardi wants so he is limited in his creativity. Whereas Yoon Seungho also restraints the low-born in his creativity, since he has to paint sex scenes, Ian has to create religious paintings or scenes with nobles.
Both sponsors use their position to impose their will. The painters have no right to refuse and to choose their subjects based on their inclination or inspiration. This outlines their precarious situation as they are dependent on the sponsor. Yoon Seungho’s attitude does resemble Mr. Bardi’s behavior, yet there is another huge contrast too. Ian is kept captive in his room, can only get food if the picture is finished. That’s why he is often hungry and very skinny.
On the other hand, Yoon Seungho shows a certain favoritism because he placed Baek Na-Kyum right next to his bedroom
and the former is even willing to eat his lunch with him.
(chapter 11) Despite the difference, they both have to please their sponsor with their work. If there is disobedience, then there is also punishment:
(chapter 13) The low-born was about to get the straw mat beating, until the lord changed his mind. However, just like Ian, the young man had been slapped and even pushed by his “sponsor” before. Ian’s suffering lasts much longer because he arrived at the house as a child and he was already a young man, when he was able to leave this hell created by Bardi.
All these aspects are here dramatized, however this was the reality for painters in the past. Even Vincent Van Gogh couldn’t live properly as he had no real sponsor outside his family. Many painters had to adapt themselves to the taste of their “clients” in order to earn money that’s why many artists chose to paint following the trend and the rules. In other words, the painters’ creativity and curiosity for experiment were bounded, just like in the two fictions.
Baek Na-Kyum became a successful painter because he published many erotic books which the nobility was fond of.
Sure, he had to publish them under a pseudonym, nevertheless his books were quite famous as he was able to survive as a drunk without painting any longer. So even if the topic was taboo, aristocrats were quite interested in such drawings. In order to get attention from the nobility, Ian is also reminded by Henry, a noble, that he should paint based on the trend but this time, Ian refuses. Unlike Bardi and Yoon Seungho, Mr. Raymond gave him the freedom to paint based on his inclination.
The other disparity is that Yoon Seungho wanted to keep the paintings to himself, he never wanted to let people see Baek Na-Kyum’s talents or to earn money with it. It was as if he was determined to own the painter so that he could keep him hidden from people’s attention, as if he wanted to put him behind the curtain. And notice that the noble is not interested in encouraging the artist to develop his talents. 
(chapter 41) He was jealous and annoyed, when he saw the picture of Jung In-Hun’s inauguration so that he failed to see the talent and dedication in this different type of drawing. So there is a certain selfishness in the seme here but I am expecting that this will change. He could have noticed that the low-born’s talent is not just defined by sex and sodomy but his insecurities made him blind in that moment. Yet, this painting has been given to the loyal valet Kim so that it can get destroyed. But I feel that Kim might give it to his master or keep it. I have the feeling that this painting will play a bigger role in Baek Na-Kyum’s career later.
Now, people who haven’t read “A painter behind the curtain” might think that Yoon Seungho is the Joseon version of Bardi, however they are wrong. Actually, he is a mixture of Bardi (due to his selfish and violent side) and Mr. Raymond. If you look at the image where Mr. Raymond is looking at the painting, you’ll notice his fascination and admiration for the work created by Ian.
The so-called merchant is definitely moved by the creation and the gaze is again revealing the affects caused by the painting. He keeps starring at it, there is a certain calmness and relaxation oozing from his eyes. Just like Yoon Seungho, the bourgeois falls in love with Ian’s pictures. And little by little, he falls in love with the artist himself. As you can see, the paintings serve as a bridge between the two men, Yoon Seungho wants to find the man with the talented hands and at some point Mr. Raymond will realize Mr. Bardi’s fraud and the origin of the paintings: Ian.
However, Mr. Raymond’s kindness and gentleness is not selfless in reality. He needs the artist’s talents in order to get closer to the nobility and as such to power. Art and paintings are linked to power because rulers and even the Church used art in order to legitimate their authority.
At the same time, only painters working for the Church or the King had a rather comfortable life. Yet they had to paint what they were told to. Just like Yoon Seungho, the bourgeois is motivated by revenge but uses art as his tool and not sex. Mr. Raymond has a different approach therefore he needs Ian’s talent and help.
Mr. Raymond is not powerful like the lord from Joseon, since the merchant only belongs to the third state, the commoners. He wants to obtain power as he suffered injustice in his childhood.
His father was executed due to a scheme perpetrated by count Rothsildt. So far, he has internalized that only in a powerful position he can get revenge and protect himself and his family from any injustice. Since he is just a bourgeois, he is despised by the aristocrats, at the same time they seek his company as many nobles are facing financial issues which is historically correct. Just before the French Revolution, many bourgeois were even richer than nobles, especially many low nobles were impoverished… which reminds us of Jung In-Hun at the same time. So his role as a sponsor for a talented painter represents his way to get access to power. Like I have mentioned above, for kings talented painters are a tool for the securing their own power.
Since Mr. Raymond has to rely on Ian’s talent, he can’t behave like Yoon Seungho. He needs to win the painter’s trust hence he teaches him reading and writing. Striking is that Ian is compared to a cat,
whereas Baek Na-Kyum’s behavior reminded me more of a lamb. That’s why their position contrasts so much. Ian has the upper hand right from the start with Mr. Raymond and in Painter Of The Night, it is the opposite. Seungho can use his position as lord to force the man to paint, yet as time passes on, the situation reverses. At the end of the first season, Baek Na-Kyum has the upper hand in their relationship. Seungho wants to have the artist’s consent, when it comes to sex. He no longer uses his position as lord. 
(chapter 41)
This explains why Ian is given so much freedom by the bourgeois. As time passes on, Ian’s PTSD disappears and the artist can develop his own interest and change his techniques. Thanks to Mr. Raymond’s support, he can choose the topic of his paintings and the methods which announces a huge change and innovation in the art. Ian shows an interest for commoners or for landscapes.
The way he paints as well, reminds me a lot of the Impressionism, an art current characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time), ordinary subject matter, inclusion of movement as a crucial element of human perception and experience, and unusual visual angles.
Impressionism originates with a group of artists living around Paris whose independent exhibitions created a wave of scandal and attention at the end of the 19th Century. Famous painters from the impressionism are f. ex. Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Sisley, Morisot. But Van Gogh and Cézanne were highly influenced by this art movement until they developed their own style. These painters decided not to follow the rules by the Art Academy which explains why many painters from that current struggled a lot. Only Renoir and Monet could become rich and successful before their death. And now, if you look at Ian’s paintings, you observe that Ian has the same thinking and approach as he paints on his impressions. Now, I am adding a picture where the beholder can view the paintings that the nobility liked.
The beholder observes the huge contrast as Ian no longer paints religious scenes or mythology, his focus is more or less on daily situations: they have less pathos and ooze more humbleness. But thanks to Raymond, Ian Sconel is able to catch the attention of a famous court painter. However, we shouldn’t forget that this young man wouldn’t have been able to develop his skills any further if Raymond had not entirely supported him.
That’s why the attitude of a sponsor is really important, he can brake or improve the artist’s talents.
Now, if we return our attention to Painter Of The Night, the reader notices that Yoon Seungho was only focused on getting new paintings for his own pleasure. The interest of the low-born never mattered. However, I sense that the lord might come to change his attitude and even help him to develop his talents. Just like in “A Painter Behind The Curtain”, I am expecting that the master will teach Baek Na-Kyum to write and read. Secondly, we know for sure that he has connection to the Royal Academy
and Baek Na-Kyum has for the first time painted on another topic: the inauguration of the low noble Jung In-Hun. 
(chapter 44) The drawing was detailed and totally different from the erotic pictures. So I am expecting that Yoon Seungho turns into a real sponsor and becomes more and more like Mr. Raymond. However, the latter will have to choose at some point between power or love. By taking care of Ian so well, he wanted him to open up but at the end, Raymond fell in love with the genius too. While one artist could incite arousal with his creations, the other could calm the resentful merchant. Strictly speaking, their art had a huge impact on the life of the two semes.
Despite the suffering and their tragic past, both artists have the chance to meet someone who will help them to get recognition for their talents and to become more independent. But just like I have been showing all along, the painter’s life in the past relied a lot of sponsoring. The French novelist Emile Zola wrote a novel called “L’Oeuvre” (The work) where he described the struggling of an impressionist. The latter was determined to create a masterpiece with innovations and to get recognition but failed at the end. Zola, a close friend of Cézanne, was inspired by his friend’s life and the impressionism, yet this book became the reason why Cézanne cut ties with his childhood friend as the painter Claude Lantier was portrayed in a rather negative way: he was obsessed and neglected everything else including his family. The reasons why I am mentioning this work are the following. First, it outlines the importance of a sponsor and confirmed what the manhwas are telling in their fiction. Then it reveals the difficulties the avant-garde painters had in order to get accepted. Finally here comes the biggest reason. I had to read this book when I was a high school student and through this work, I came to understand the significance of paintings. That’s how I discovered the impressionism and fell in love with their works. Because of this novel, I could finally understand better why innovations in art movement were related to a fight against Academy and rules. Painters are indeed fighters because what they do can go against social norms and etiquette. That’s why their life is so difficult. The rape, the exploitation might be fiction in the manhwas, yet they symbolize the struggles painters from unknown origins had in order to make a breakthrough.
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Protected: Painter Of The Night: Yoon Seungho a psychopath? (second version)
Protected: Painter Of The Night: Who is this Baek Na-Kyum? – part 1 (second version)
Bebebisous33s' analyses in K-Dramaland and Manhwas 