Oscar Wilde

Aesthetic movement in Europe (Art and literature)

How did the Aesthetic literary and artistic movement influence Oscar Wilde's life?

Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy (especially in art), that studies the principles of beauty. Which means artist and writers of the aesthetic movement believe that art should provide pleasure to the senses instead of moral messages. Which had a great influence on Oscar Wilde life. This is because he believed that art shouldn't always have a deeper meaning and that sometimes people should just appreciate the beauty of the surface. Which shown through the text of ‘The picture of Dorian Gray’. 

Define the term "Dandy" in your own words

Dandy in my own words would refer to a flamboyant man that cares about fashion and good looks. But could also be used to describe something of excellence.

Analyze the preface to the novel - what does it tell us about art

Oscar Wilde was a great believer in asceticism. This is shown through the preface of the novel ‘The picture of Dorian Gray’. This is because he stated that “No artist desires to prove anything”. Which I think shows that he believed that no creative piece needs more depth than the beauty it conveys. Another thing said in the preface was “All art is at once surface and symbol” it is shown that he is dividing the spectators of art into two categories, those who appreciate art and those who look for something deeper. Then finally it also says that “All art is useless” which I think links specifically to Oscar Wilde and his mentality because he thinks art should have a deeper meaning. Therefore, he enjoys looking at the beauty of the art and could be seen useless because they have no deeper purpose. Therefore, this shows that art shouldn’t have to have a deeper meaning, there are two kinds of people that appreciate art and Oscar Wilde believe that art is useless.