This essay examines the artist's attitude towards his model and present two characters who can be called artists. Furthermore, the most important transitions between art and life will be presented. In a last point, there is a comparison of the artist as he is presented in the novel with Walter Pater's description of Leonardo da Vinci.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Basil Hallward as an Artist
3. Transpositions of Life and Art
4. Lord Henry as an Artist
5. Comparison with Leonardo da Vinci
6. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This essay explores the complex relationship between the artist and his creation within Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, focusing on how art and life intersect and influence the characters' moral and creative trajectories.
- The role of Basil Hallward as both a creator and a man obsessed with his subject.
- The metaphysical transposition where life imitates art and the portrait gains agency.
- Lord Henry Wotton’s function as an artist who molds the life of the subject as his masterpiece.
- The philosophical comparison between Wilde’s characters and Walter Pater’s interpretation of the artistic genius.
Excerpt from the Book
The Relationship between the Artist and his Creation
“What is a portrait good for, unless it shows just how the subject was seen by the painter?” (MS 1891), is a rhetorical question that also comes to mind when thinking about the relationship between the artist and his creation in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. This essay will examine the artist's attitude towards his model and present two characters who can be called artists. Furthermore, the most important transitions between art and life will be presented. In a last point I will briefly compare the artist as it is presented in the novel with Walter Pater's description of Leonardo da Vinci.
The Picture of Dorian Gray presents Basil Hallward as an artist who's artistic success depends on his model. Basil is the painter of Dorian Gray's portrait. From the beginning of their relationship on, he feels that he found his muse in Dorian, who, in Basil's eyes, embodies the Greek ideal of harmony between body and soul (DG 13). When the artist tells Lord Henry that the young man's “mere personality […] would absorb my whole nature, my whole soul, my very art itself” (DG 10) his affection as well as his dependence on his only model become obvious.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter outlines the central research question regarding the connection between the artist and his work in the novel, setting the stage for the analysis of Basil Hallward and the nature of artistic creation.
2. Basil Hallward as an Artist: This section details Basil's emotional and professional dependence on Dorian Gray, arguing that his artistic success is inextricably linked to his muse.
3. Transpositions of Life and Art: This chapter examines the moment the portrait becomes a living entity and how Dorian's lifestyle begins to mirror the artificial nature of a piece of art.
4. Lord Henry as an Artist: This part analyzes how Lord Henry treats Dorian as an intellectual experiment, effectively becoming a "moral creator" who shapes the young man's life as his own artwork.
5. Comparison with Leonardo da Vinci: This chapter juxtaposes Basil Hallward with Walter Pater's description of Leonardo da Vinci, identifying a lack of curiosity as Basil’s ultimate creative defect.
6. Conclusion: This final chapter synthesizes the arguments, asserting that the novel warns against the confusion of art and life, as they occupy separate, incompatible spheres.
Keywords
Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Basil Hallward, Lord Henry Wotton, Art, Life, Aestheticism, Decadence, Homoeroticism, Portrait, Walter Pater, Leonardo da Vinci, Muse, Hedonism, Creation
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this essay?
The essay investigates the intricate relationship between the artist and the creation in Oscar Wilde's novel, analyzing how the boundaries between life and art become blurred.
Who are the primary artists identified in the text?
The essay identifies both Basil Hallward, the painter, and Lord Henry Wotton, who treats the molding of Dorian’s life as an artistic endeavor, as the primary artists.
What is the primary research question of this study?
The study aims to examine the artist's attitude toward his model and how this dynamic leads to the fatal transposition of life and art in the novel.
What methodology is employed to analyze the characters?
The author uses a literary analysis approach, drawing upon text citations and comparing the characters against the aesthetic theories of Walter Pater.
What specific concept is covered in the analysis of the portrait?
The text analyzes the portrait as a "doppelgaenger" that takes on the consequences of Dorian's actions, eventually acting as a physical manifestation of his soul.
Which academic keywords define this paper?
Key terms include Aestheticism, Decadence, Homoeroticism, Muse, Hedonism, and the intersection of life and art.
How does Basil's lack of curiosity affect his status as an artist?
The essay argues that according to Walter Pater's criteria, Basil’s lack of curiosity—as noted by Lord Henry—is his chief defect, which ultimately leads to his artistic stagnation and failure.
What does the essay conclude about the interaction between life and art?
The author concludes that life and art are separate spheres and that any attempt to confuse them—as seen in Dorian’s tragic path—leads to fatal consequences.
- Quote paper
- Christina Haupt (Author), 2015, The Relationship between the Artist and his Creation in Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1891), Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/369412
