Oscar Wilde Often times in newspapers and magazines, a journalist decides to criticize society. This journalist, thinking that he or she is saying something profound, claims that society holds too much worry with outer appearances. They like to say that everybody is too materialistic and that life should not be about the aesthetics. This person believes that the generation they are currently in is the first to embrace such a culture. This journalist is wrong. What this person is referring to, is the Aesthetic movement that had its roots as early as the 1860s. This was a movement of artists and writers to spread the beauty of art in every sense of the word. Also called the Arts and Crafts movement, this was the time period that shook Great Britain into more refined focus on the portrayal of art in furniture, books, etc. The face of this movement was Oscar Wilde. Oscar Wilde was a well-known poet and author and his adoption of the lifestyle was not a surprise to anybody. This was evident in many of his works. The only novel he ever published, The Picture of Dorian Gray was brimmed with the idea of aestheticism. Not only was the book an example of his beliefs, it reflected many other areas of his life as well. Oscar Wilde’s upbringing, personal beliefs, and behavior greatly influenced the ideas of indulgence, morality, and aesthetics in The Picture of Dorian Gray. The Picture of Dorian Gray is about a young boy (Dorian Gray) who moves to London. When he first arrives, he is the purest form of beauty in every sense the word. He is described to be extremely beautiful and good of heart. He is innocent to the point of naivety and this is causes everybody around him to admire him. His best friend, Basil Hallward, is quite fond of him. When the scene opens he is speaking with his friend Lord Henry Wotton, where he raves about his new found companion (Dorian)