... not follow his own guideline, contradicting his own statement. The events which occur as a result of an expression of art, display that an artist is not only capable of creating beauty, but also of creating ugliness and evil. Basil Hallward is an artist who paints a portrait of the young and beautiful Dorian Gray. At first, the piece is wonderful, displaying the young mans loveliness perfectly. Both the painting, and Dorian are beautiful, and in ... and fatal in nature. A simple piece of art that once appeared to be wonderful drastically changes the life of a man for the worse, creating...

• Word Count: 486
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... Gray by Oscar Wilde is a tale of moral corruption by the means of aesthetic beauty. In this novel, Basil Hallward presented a young Dorian Gray with a portrait of himself. After speaking with Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian made a wish that changed his life forever. This story emphasizes its disapproval over the love over aesthetics, which has many negative impacts ... on the main characters and their lives. The three key characters meet some form of personal tragedy as a result of their love for aesthetics. Basil ... influenced by this book. Dorian's devotion to pleasure becomes his way of ...

• Word Count: 949
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School