Aestheticism In Oscar Wilde's The Picture Of Dorian Gray

Aestheticism was a popular dogma in the late 1800s that centered on the belief that art should exist for beauty alone. This doctrine is defined as an “exaggerated devotion to art, music, or poetry, with indifference to practical matters” and “the acceptance of artistic beauty and taste as a fundamental standard, ethical and other standards being secondary” (“Aestheticism,” def. 1 and 2). In Oscar Wilde’s sole novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, aestheticism is a fashionable belief accepted by society at the time. Oscar Wilde uses the moral deterioration and ultimate destruction of Dorian Gray in The Picture of Dorian Gray to emphasize the negative effects of society’s preoccupation with aesthetics and offer a moral for the reader.

         The novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, written by Oscar Wilde originally appeared in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine in 1890.  It was then published in 1891, in book form, containing six additional chapters with revisions. The first reviews of Dorian Gray were mostly unfavorable.  It was condemned for its speculative treatment  of immoral or at least uncomfortable subjects. A review in the St. James’s Gazette by Samuel Henry Jeyes, journalist and biographer was titled "‘A Study in Puppydom."   Jeyes refers to Wilde’s idle, “effeminate” characters in the book and writes: “The puppies appear to fill up the intervals of talk by plucking daisies and playing with them, and

Staring from the definition found in the dictionary, the decadence is a literary movement especially of late 19th-century France and England characterized by refined aestheticism, artifice, and the quest for new sensations. [1]

The tone of this book is kind of obsessive and admiral, when the author describes Dorian Gray. The tone then shifts to somewhat critical and judgmental with the relevance of Lord Henry’s flawed character and the judgement of characters such as Mrs. Vane and Victoria.

In his essay “The Decay of Lying”, Oscar Wilde wrote, “No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist.” This prominent playwright believed that the purpose of art stood in distortion and adornment. However, in comparing Point Reyes Country Road by Asha Carolyn Young and Wheatfield with Crows by Vincent van Gogh, I made the conclusion that the Wilde’s statement is false. Many different forms of art exist, and whether it is realistic, abstract, or anything else; all art styles should be recognized as “art”. Although the style is different, the result that they provide to the audience is the same— a reaction in a human sense or emotion.

“Aestheticism can be defined as the ideal of creating works of art that renounce any purpose or meaning other than their own refined beauty.” (Quirk) Aestheticism’s main goal was to be a way to counter the political and social views of the time. “Human beings in decadent art and writing are irretrievably flawed and live in a state of disruption both with themselves and with an equally flawed Nature. Since this is the case, humans can only overcome this imperfect melancholy state momentarily in acts of sin, disguise, or pretense.” (Quirk) Perhaps Aestheticism’s most recognizable figure was Oscar Wilde, who was the author of Dolan Grey. Aesthetic art focused more on being beautiful and pleasing to the eye rather than having a deeper meaning. The paintings often do not have any subject and are abstract, which is different than many types of art.

Oscar Wilde once said, “No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to exist” in his “The Decay of Lying”. This quote foreshadows the death of artist Basil Hallward in his The Picture of Dorian Gray. Wilde is known for being a participant in the aesthetic movement. This movement emphasizes that the role of art is to provide beauty to the observer.

Oscar Wilde prefaces his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, with a reflection on art, the artist, and the utility of both. After careful scrutiny, he concludes: “All art is quite useless” (Wilde 4). In this one sentence, Wilde encapsulates the complete principles of the Aesthetic Movement popular in Victorian England. That is to say, real art takes no part in molding the social or moral identities of society, nor should it. Art should be beautiful and pleasure its observer, but to imply further-reaching influence would be a mistake. The explosion of aesthetic philosophy in fin-de-siècle English society, as exemplified by Oscar Wilde, was not confined to merely art, however. Rather, the proponents of this philosophy extended it to life itself. Here, aestheticism advocated whatever behavior was likely to maximize the beauty and happiness in one’s life, in the tradition of hedonism. To the aesthete, the ideal life mimics art; it is beautiful, but quite useless beyond its beauty, concerned only with the individual living it. Influences on others, if existent, are trivial at best. Many have read The Picture of Dorian Gray as a novelized sponsor for just this sort of aesthetic lifestyle. However, this story of the rise and fall of Dorian Gray might instead represent an allegory about morality meant to critique, rather than endorse, the obeying of one’s impulses as thoughtlessly and dutifully as aestheticism dictates.

Hedonism is the “pursuit of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle” (Dictionary.com). In Oscar Wilde’s, the Picture of Dorian Gray, the story revolves around a young lad named, Dorian Gray. Throughout the story, three recurring characters appear which are Basil, Dorian, and Lord Henry. The three begin a discourse on philosophy whilst Basil refutes Lord Henry’s hedonistic philosophies. Gray damns the picture, stating that whatever ailments of age may affect him may be put onto the picture. Basil pleads Dorian not to be influenced by the figure Lord Henry, yet Dorian is so infatuated by his ideals that he cannot resist the temptation. Later on, Gray begins to act more and more selfishly, committing many atrocities such as, leading young men away from diligence, slaining an actress, and murdering the artist of the picture, Basil. Guilt consumes Gray as his actions alter the picture into a horror. Planning to end it all, Gray gives the picture one last stab, unknowingly reversing the curse the picture held and unleashing his own knife upon himself. In Wilde’s, the Picture of Dorian Gray, hedonism is an attribute that inevitably precipitates consequence and is proved through literary devices, epigrams, and themes to ultimately discourage the audience from succumbing to fleshly desire.

Aestheticism flourished partly as a backlash against the materialism of the growing middle class, assumed to be composed of philistines (those who abide by the social attitude of anti-intellectualism that undervalues and despises art) who viewed and responded to art in an unrefined manner, and who failed to appreciate the artistic worldview that was becoming fairly prominent at the time.

To be young forever is manys wish, but are all the consequences worth the risk? In the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, written by Oscar Wilde, there is a character named Dorian Gray. He wishes upon a painting of him wanting it to hold all of his sins and to grow old for him. “How sad it is! Murmured Dorian Gray, with his eyes still fixed upon his own portrait. “How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrible, and dreadful. But this picture will remain always young. It will never be older that this particular day of June...If it were only the other way! If it were I who was to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old! For that-for that-I would give everything!” (19) Because of this Dorian was free to live his life how he wanted without worrying about growing old or of sin tarnishing his image. While this may seem like a fun way to live life, it comes with many consequences that may not be worth it.

1) In the book, The Picture of Dorian Gray, several characteristics of the world have been presented. The author portrays the world as a den of individuals with a skewed view of the immediate environment. The author depicts the world as a place where physical traits like beauty or handsomeness are important than a person’s virtues. Dorian spends his time studying music and other beautiful things that life has to offer. Visible aspects such as youthfulness are viewed by the characters of the novel as the most superior aspects of life. Lord Henry reminds Dorian that soon he would lose vital attributes that mattered to him in life. By saying so, he

Insipid, gray, and restrained - these are the words that come to the minds of most when they think of the Victorian era. Strict social codes of refined sensibilities and austerity dictated the time, and to act unseemly or out of line was synonymous with committing social suicide. Yet, the Victorian era was also a time run rampant with sensationalism, drug use, and promiscuity. The juxtaposition of these conflicting morals lends to a period rife with hypocrisy, as reflected in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Living a life without guilt or shame can be astonishingly enticing. Many people, especially in Victorian England, agreed with this notion. Many distinguished authors, poets, and other influential members of society affirmed this belief. Among them was notorious author and playwright, Oscar Wilde. Wilde was a known supporter of Aestheticism, a movement in which there are no morals to be found in art and where life is meant to be lived in pursuit of passion with no room or regard for moral uprightness. Wilde lived a very flamboyant life, and most critics would agree that his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, highlights this lifestyle which focuses on surrendering to one’s temptations. A closer look at the work, however, instead brings the reader to a different conclusion. The harrowing tale of Dorian Gray’s rise and fall clearly criticizes the Aesthetic Movement, which gives way to the idea of surrendering to one’s whims as thoughtlessly as one would like, and instead draws attention to the direct relationship between art and morality.

“ I wasn't like this before I met you.’ ‘ Like what?’ ‘I didn’t feel like this. I didn’t think like this. You- you did this to me…(“Fallenoracle”).” This quote from the television series Quantico does an effective job of expressing what Lord Henry’s influence does to Dorian Gray throughout the philosophical novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. While some might argue that Dorian's actual nature does not change significantly, an additional perspective is that Dorian Gray is a dynamic character who gains negative character traits by becoming vain of his youth, increasingly paranoid of someone learning of his portrait as well as the crimes he has committed, and attempting to gain pleasure from a number of depraved acts.