Picture of Dorian Gray VI: Ch. 9-11

Oscar Wilde has stated that he sees himself in his character Basil. This is visible in several of Basil's statements, which mirror the preface; Basil expresses views that are indicated to be Wilde's by means of their statement in the preface. For instance, Wilde states that "to reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim" (vii). Basil states that "art conceals the artist far more completely than it ever reveals him" (84). The similar diction - namely, in the phrase "conceal[s] the artist" and the repeated word "reveal" - are illustrative of the word echoes that associate Basil with Wilde. Similarly, Basil states that "art is always more abstract than we fancy," but also that "form and colour tell us of form and colour - that is all" (84). By comparison, Wilde states that "all art is at once surface and symbol" (vii). Both Basil and Wilde discuss the dichotomy of art - that art is simultaneously the direct statement and the underlying meaning. Wilde expresses this through a direct statement of the duality, whereas Basil makes two apparently contradictory statements that come together to form a paradox. Both Basil and Wilde express very similar sentiments regarding the purpose of art, and this is illustrative of the similarities between them that Wilde refers to when he states that Basil Hallward is representative of how he sees himself.