Basil’s Changes as Related to Wilde’s Opinion on Art

Oscar Wilde, author of The Picture of Dorian Gray, makes Basil's life

change

drastically by having him paint a portrait of Dorian Gray and express

too much of himself

in it, which, in Wilde's mind, is a troublesome obstacle to circumvent.

Wilde believes

that the artist should not portray any of himself in his work, so when

Basil does this, it is

he who creates his own downfall, not Dorian.

Wilde introduces Basil to Dorian when Basil begins to notice Dorian

staring at

him at a party. Basil "suddenly became conscious that someone was

looking at [him].

[He] turned halfway around and saw Dorian Gray for the first time"

(Wilde 24). Basil

immediately notices him, however Basil is afraid to talk to him. His

reason for this is

that he does "not want any external influence in [his] life" (Wilde

24). This is almost a

paradox in that it is eventually his own internal influence that

destroys him. Wilde does

this many times throughout the book. He loved using paradoxes and that

is why Lord

Henry, the character most similar to Wilde, is quoted as being called

"Price Paradox."

Although Dorian and Basil end up hating each other, they do enjoy

meeting each other

for the first time. Basil finds something different about Dorian. He

sees him in a

different way than he sees other men. Dorian is not only beautiful to

Basil, but he is also

gentle and kind. This is when Basil falls in love with him and begins

to paint the picture.

Basil begins painting the picture, but does not tell anyone about it,

including

Dorian, because he knows that there is too much of himself in it. Lord

Henry discovers

the painting and asks Basil why he will not display it. Lord Henry

thinks that it is so

beautiful it should be displayed in a museum. Basil argues that the

reason he will not

display the painting is because he is "afraid that [he] has shown in it

the secret of his soul" (Wilde 23). This is another paradox because he

has not only shown the secret of

his soul, but the painting eventually comes to show the secret of

Dorian's soul also. In

the preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde explains that "to

reveal art and conceal

the artist is art's aim" (Wilde 17). Basil realizes that he has not

concealed himself in the

painting and therefore feels the painting is not worth anything. After

Lord Henry sees the

painting, he asks to meet Dorian. Basil says that would not be good

because his

"influence would be bad" (Wilde 31). Basil is correct in saying this

because Lord Henry

is the main person who helps Dorian to destroy himself. Lord Henry

disregards Basil's

request and meets Dorian anyway. This is the beginning of the end for

both Dorian and