Art In ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ by Ajla

Pay attention. Can you see the beautiful heavenly sky that is standing above us? Can you hear the river’s and wind’s duo that is singing the song of life? Can you feel the untouched beauty of the nature’s sweet innocence?

There is nothing that can be compared with it. Nothing is even close to it. Nothing, apart of art which is it. For art is nature’s exquisiteness. And art has its own magnificence. Hence art is nature, and is more than that. Nature is described by art, but it cannot be done other way around. There is nothing above these two. Therefore the only way that you can express the value of art is by creating another piece of the same. It is the biggest challenge for artists, but Oscar Wild took the risk and has created ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ which is unreachable piece of perfection.

In this work of his, whole beauty and perfection are explained by three main characters. In their conversations, in their thoughts, in their acts art can be seen and art is shown in the most severe way. The one who is reading cannot pass by not noticing it, and cannot escape thoughts which are consuming mind and leading toward the same conclusions of this matter. It is like the author had set his mind to make everyone realize how everything around us is connected by one most amassing invention of human intellect.

Three leading roles are given to Basil-the painter, Dorian Gray-the subject that connects everything and Lord Henry-the most valuable link.

Music, theater, writing and visual art are discussed about and explained by them.

 

‘Ordinary people waited till life disclosed to them its secrets, but to the few, to the elect, the mysteries of life were revealed before the veil was drawn away. Sometimes this was the effect of art, and chiefly of the art of literature, which dealt immediately with the passions and the intellect. But now and then a complex personality took the place and assumed the office of art; was indeed, in its way, a real work of art, Life having its elaborate master-pieces, just as poetry has, or sculpture, or painting.’

 

Every one of them was mentioned individually in order to describe feelings of characters when they are under impression of some great event, or at least of happening that had caused change of feelings inside. As an example, when Basil was telling about his work he stated that there is no difference between it and him:

 

‘Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter. The sitter is merely the accident, the occasion. It is not he who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who, on the coloured canvas, reveals himself.’

 

In such a manner Dorian explained fell in love with the art of actress:

 

‘She has been innocent, and the black hands of jealousy have crushed her reed-like throat. I have seen her in every age in every costume. Ordinary woman never appeal to one’s imagination. /…/ But an actress! How different an actress is!’

 

His personality is hidden in art as well as he himself. Great love toward this image of reality is shown after he starts being in company of Lord Henry.

Lord Henry has the most complex characteristics. As a true English high society member he is introduced and familiar with all types of art, as a philosopher he has his own opinion about it and as such has great influence on others which is his own art. His role in this book is the most important for he is the link that connects everything together. This character is the one that talks about all: music, poetry, theater, visual arts, women, philosophy; in one word –life. The effect if his words was best seen on example of Dorian’s thoughts after conversation between them:

 

‘Music had stirred him like that. Music had troubled him many times. But music was not articulate, It was not a new world, but rather another chaos, that it created in us. Words! Mere words! How terrible they were! How clear, and vivid and cruel! One could not escape from them. And yet what a subtle magic was in them! They seemed to be able to give a plastic form to formless things, and to have a music of their own as sweet as that of viola or of lute. Mere words! Was there anything so real as words?’

 

So art is not just individual’s creativity, or representation of nature, nor mare image of life. Art is life, wrapped in a form of beauty which posses whole cruelty of reality and untouched perfection of imagination. This is what Oscar Wilde explained with piece of art about art.