The thread is now open for spoilers and discussions.
The posters
source: bengalibayonet’s tumblr
If the posters look familiar, it’s because they’re spoof art. The posters took famous paintings and images, and displayed them with humor.
From Left to right, top row:
Kim Minjae with the bowler hat and hovering potato. This is borrowed from Rene Magritte’s paintings. Magritte is
Belgian artist, famous for surrealist paintings of men with bowler hats. The iconic one is “The Son of Man.” Bowler hats were symbolic of the bourgeoisie, in particular, the middle- class working man. I guess, in the poster, it’s supposed to represent the character’s attempt to appear classy. The apple is replaced with the potato.
Dali and the pearl earrings. This poster is parodying Johannes Vermeer’s painting, “The Girl with a Pearl Earring.” The painting is a “tronie,” meaning it’s painted not to immortalize the person who sat for the painting (like “Mona Lisa”), but to capture the facial expression of the sitter. The identity of the sitter is not important as the EMOTION of the sitter…which in this case was surprise. Hence, the anonymity of the sitter in the title of the painting. Tronie means “face” in Dutch.
Kwon Yul as an aristocrat. lol. This one looks like a generic painting of nobility. It’s probably a commentary on the character of the person. He’s the stereotypical second male lead: rich, educated, passive-aggressive. lol.
From Left to right, bottom row:
The police officer. This is another generic painting. Sorry. I don’t know this dude.
Lady with the white dog. This is a spoof of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Lady with an Ermine.” Da Vinci only painted four portraits of women: “Mona Lisa,” “Ginevra de’Benci,” (which is here in the Washington DC’s National Gallery of Arts), “La Belle Ferronniere” and “Portrait of a Lady with Ermine.” Interestingly, the last two portraits were paintings of mistresses of Da Vinci’s patron, the Duke of Milan.
The ermine is supposedly a symbol of pregnancy and it’s believed that the woman in the painting was pregnant with the Duke’s child. I’m sure the real wife would have been ecstatic to hear that.
I’m guessing that the character in the poster is the third party in a love triangle.
The girl screaming. This parodies Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.” Munch was a troubled artist and he freely admitted he suffered from trauma, alcoholism, physical illnesses, and insanity. The scream is self-explanatory. In the drama, this character screaming is probably a close associate or confidante of one of the main leads who’s stressed out by her friend’s irrational behavior.
Well, that’s my take on the posters. Let’s see how this drama pans out.
Let’s enjoy the show.
Of course, they wouldn’t hide Min Jae’s face with a potato so they have to put it on top. LOL! I like the poster and the famous portrait paintings. The ladies rock it, easily identifiable. I am stumped on the 2 guys also, there are several portraits with military uniform (Napoleon Bonaparte for example) and robed men with hand on the belly poses. But nothings stands out.
Will check this kdrama out!
@packmule3,I love these posters and am looking forward to watching this drama. K Dramas are so great when it comes tocultural references from classical music to ballet and ,jterature and here high brow art(although Her Private Life did a great job with art galleries). I love the Magritte. Many years ago I went to an exhibit of his art when I knew nothing about it and had a wonderful time admiring the irony and humor of his pieces. So I am happy that Viki will have this.
Not on topic, but I saw the first review of HPL2 that was not glowing by Pierce Conran in the South China Morning Post. He Gave it a 2,5 out of 5 and characterized it as bloated. It was refreshing compared to the bulk of sycophantic stuff I’ve read. You can find it via Google.
Kalimera Ladies!
I have seen those posters and the only one I disliked is the “Scream” for exactly the reasons you pointed @Packmule3.
I love Vermeer and “the girl with the pearl earring” is the most successful one.
I also like the paraphrase of Magritte’s painting.
I will mostly watch this during the weekend!
Gosh, it must be because of the holiday, but Viki only has part-subs still. Yesterday they only had about 10%. Still the actors are good. They both have good voices.
Isn’t the lady in the scream (Moo-Hak’s assistant) the lady who played the sister in Zombie Detective? I was thinking about ZD just yesterday when I heard the Stone’s ‘Harlem Shuffle’ at my local grocery store.
Thank you, subbers. I’ve understood all of episode 1 now and so far so good. Some tropes and some reverse tropes. I’m not sure who is the Cinderella/Cinderino yet, but it’s nice to see that the way to a lady’s heart is through her stomach. I never get tired of a man who knows his way around a strange kitchen. I’m not going to mention the shower scene. That would be shallow, right?
This has to be the greatest kdrama show poster ever. I love the references to famous paintings–I still haven’t found any particular ones for the two other actors (not MLs).
I tried to watch Dali last night but the subs were still only at 21%–so I only saw the first 10 minutes or so. It started pretty over the top–I don’t know how it will play out over 16 episodes. She is demure and dedicated to a ridiculous degree (not sleeping for three days), he has a ridiculous amount of bluster and bravado. (Beauty and the Beast?)
BTW I really wish they could get English-speaking actors who can actually act… That’s always part of the awkwardness in these first scenes set in other countries.
I agree with your personality assessment, @BethB. It’s funny to see Kim Min Jae playing a thug. The thing is she is stronger than him, for all of his swagger, right? And he’s a gentlemanly thug around her. I love his money painting. I laughed at the cold shower. Dear oh dear!
We have all subs for both episodes now.
Hello everyone! I’m keen on this drama because I love both leads, and it looks a bit chaotic in a good way.
I adore another poster for this drama, which is a play on Renoir’s Danse à la campagne (Dance in the Country). You can find it if you search for it, and it depicts Dal Ri dancing in a red hat while holding a fan. Moo Hak is her partner in a blue suit.
Tae Jin (I assume the second lead) is standing outside the painting observing them, just like how two figures in the background of the original painting watch the dancing couple.
I find it to be a rather cheeky and artful way of showing that Tae Jin is out of the picture.
Will be starting this drama this week end. I was waiting on the Viki subs I am absolutely charmed by the art references and the visuals in general. I think that we are getting a bonus because this drama is a feast for the eyes.the promotional material is clever and engaging. I visit a sculpture garden in Hamilton Township,New Jersey called The Grounds for Sculpture. Part of the allure of this place are the large sculpural recreations of impressionist works that were done by Seward Johnson(of the pharmaceutical company).Some would claim that this would make art plebian, but I say it makes art accessible and enjoyable. In the same way I feel about this sculpture garden, I feel about this drama. At the very least, I know I’ll enjoy looking at it.
Thanks for the tip, @Old American Lady. I’ll make a note of that place next time I pass by Trenton, NJ.
Between this drama and LoTRS I feel so terribly cultured 😂. A surfeit in the realm of arts. The riot of colors and outlandish outfits are so fun. I didn’t finish Ep1. Got distracted but will continue this weekend.
Is the story any good, though, @nrllee?
I’ll join you soon.
@packmule3 I haven’t finished Ep1, I fell asleep. 😂 So let’s just say it didn’t capture my interest from the get go like LoTRS did. I need to warm up to it.
@packmule3, if you go, you need timed tickets. Google the place. You’ll get the details
It is on former fair grounds. Therenqre a lot of installations, modern art.and integrated plantings. And on the main road approaching the garden there are additional art installations.
Dear @OAL,
Kalimera! How are you?
Good Morning Cleopatra, So happy to hear from you
I hope your weather has calmed down.We’re rainy here and had some flooding from the remnants of a hurricane a few weeks ago. The good news is our Covid numbers are going down
Iam thankful for that
Life is picking up here
Theaters are opening again, There are lots of fall outdoor festivals again.Amd we have all sorts of fun dramas to watch.
I just got some real feta cheese. Some good olives. Ripe tomatoes, pepperoncini, some greens-so.I’ll make an approximation of Greek salad. I love Greek food. It’s delicious and healthy. We are lucky here because we can get ingredients at real Greek grocery stores. I grew up with school mates who were children if Greek immigrants. When we studied mythology out friend:s name was Aphrodite (she was pretty too). But one boy in our class was Hippocrates but junior high kids nicknamed him.hippo.
So if you ever come to NYC you won’t feel strange and you’ll also have familiar foods to eat.
Hope you are safe and well, OAL
.
@OAL, I have been to Grounds for Sculpture!
I have not started this drama, but the tongue-in-cheek art references are funny.
My dear @OAL,
It feels so good to hear from you! Yes, our weather has calmed down. We are now having autumn days. There are sunny parts and there are cloudy parts. It hasn’t rained yet in the city, though.
I have heard about the hurricane and I am glad you are okay! Also, there are indeed good news regarding your Covid numbers!
If I ever come, I want to visit all the Museums, especially MoMa, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I would also pay my tributes to Ground Zero.
I am glad you had some feta cheese. If you can believe it I have stayed away from it for more than a week!
I think that when you travel is okay to experiment with your food.
I like to enjoy tasty food whenever cousine it is. As long as you have good company with you, that matters!
I am safe and sound. Life is beautiful and I am enjoying every minute of it! <3
Stay safe! I always enjoy reading you!
@Cleopatra, When you come to NY, you will be happy to know that there is an ancient obelisk behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art called…..drum roll, Cleopatra’s Needle. The first floor of the museum is devoted to the ancients-Egyptian and Greek collections (and we know that Cleopatra was Greek).. However, that museum can take days to cover. There is also a separate building called The Cloisters in a park in northern Manhattan that is home to their medieval collection including some unicorn tapestries. MoMA is now on its I think third building renovation/rebuild and there’s The Whitney, The Guaggheim, The Frick. When I was a kid, these museums were free. And for all the children, there’s The American Museum of Natural History. And you would have to visit the main branch of The New York Public Library and the newest branch, The Stavros Niarchos Library with a roof deck. When the museums were free I lived in them. Now I get senior discounts.
And if you come to New York, you have to eat a bagel, pizza and cheese cake. Those are quintessential New York foods. And as a K Drama fan, there is Koreatown which is very lively with restaurants, shops, bars, karaoke places and lots of K culture. BtS was here this week because the Unjted Nation’s holds its General Assembly meetings now. We have all these heads of state and their encourages running around for a few weeks and the security is pretty tight. BTS gave a speech, did this music video all around the UN, served as cultural reps for the Korean government, ,notably, at a ceramics exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And I think all Those ARMY fans here were going crazy with joy.
IF you do come at some point, we’ll arrange to privately email me so we can meet and I’ll help you see the sights. A freebie is the Staten Island Ferry where you get beautiful views of the harbor and skyline-takes about a .title over an hour round trip but it’s a nice rest if you’ve been running sround.
I watched both episodes this weekend and really enjoyed it. Kim Min-jae’s cocky prince is about 180 degrees from his Brahm’s character. Him dissecting the pig painting in the first episode 😂😂😂 And then his bluster and the tattoo T-shirt! at the end of the second episode. (There was an obligatory shower scene in episode 1 so we know he doesn’t have a chest full of tattoos). Like father like son – the two yelling at each other had me snorting. I like the actress too. I thought she would be a bit too precious in the beginning but she evokes a lot of empathy and quiet strength after her father’s death. Also enjoying the fashion – hers especially.
After a bit of an August/September drought there seems to be a flood of entertaining kdramas right now.
My dear @OAL,
Thank you for the information! I have to check all those places in order to arrange to go and visit them, If I come in NY!
Yes, of course! @nrllee and @miracle23 have my email.
So, we can do that, any time! <3
Hi everyone, so good to see so many flower gardeners here – I hope you are all doing well! Was looking forward to this drama and glad it didn’t disappoint! The money painting was an absolute highlight for me too, and I’m a much bigger fan of the brassy type KMJ is playing here – not that I didn’t love him in Brahms, but that drama got too melodramatic towards the end for me to really enjoy it.
Thank you @OAL for the museum recommendations as well! Gotta say a k-drama about art is so refreshing as an art lover myself ^^
I’ll join you when I can. I’m trying to stay afloat with all the cdramas and kdramas on my list.
KMJ’s character did have a point when he told off the fancy chef that it was ridiculous to mass-produce any dish with Russian caviar.
That’s not the type of food his company could package to sell for the masses. Down-to-earth, tasty, filling, comfort food should have been the chef’s focus.