The Picture of Dorian Gray: Preface

Art is not about the artist or the artist's purpose behind the work. An artist is the creator of beautiful things. Thus, all art is simply beautiful. A true critic of art is one who sees the beauty of art and can "translate [art] into another manner" (1). The preface mentions that "those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things are corrupt" (1). I believe people with this mentality lack an open mind and are missing out on what art has to offer. People who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are educated and appreciate art, willing to find meaning in it. These people will only increase their knowledge, unlike the corrupted people. The preface also speaks about the nineteenth century and the rage of Caliban. The slave's rage expresses his dislikes based on himself. He does not like Realism because he looks at his face and sees that the reality is how ugly he is. He does not like Romanticism because he does not see "his own face in the glass" (1), telling the reader he has not found love. I believe the reason Caliban is mentioned in the preface is to exemplify the mentality people had in the nineteenth century and still have today. Another thing mentioned is how "there is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book" (1). This also acts as a note to the readers beginning this book, telling them there is no lesson to be learned. A book cannot be right or wrong. This note to the reader is like the rose given to the reader in the beginning of The Scarlet Letter. The author makes a point of telling the reader a side note before he or she reads further into the book. To conclude, art is simply art, just like beauty is simply beauty. There is no purpose or reason behind art. It depends on the person viewing it. Wilde says that art mirrors the spectator. The last line sums up the value of art. Wilde is explaining how art can be admired by at least one person if it is considered useless. If art is useful, then it cannot be admired. Thus, "all art is quite useless" (2), which allows it to be admired.