Oscar Wilde proposes that "Art for Art's sake" in his preface, where the aim of art is to reveal itself and conceal the artist. He defines the artist as free of ethical constraints and sees art as having no inherent moral or amoral quality. Wilde criticizes the notion that art should serve some teaching function, and argues that critics' disagreements show a work is complex and vital rather than a flaw. He sees beauty in finding meaning in beautiful things and making useless things one admires intensely.

1. IF IT IS ALL THE SAME
TO YOU …
I WOULD RATHER SING
Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm.
(Oscar Wilde)

2. THE PREFACE
The artist is the creator of beautiful things. To reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim.
The critic is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things. [1]
The highest as the lowest form of criticism is a mode of autobiography. Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things
are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault.
Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. They are the elect to
whom beautiful things mean only beauty. [2]
There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all. [3]
The nineteenth century dislike of realism is the rage of Caliban seeing his own face in a glass.
The nineteenth century dislike of romanticism is the rage of Caliban not seeing his own face in a glass. [4]
The moral life of man forms part of the subject-matter of the artist, but the morality of art consists in the perfect use of an
imperfect medium. No artist desires to prove anything. Even things that are true can be proved. No artist has ethical
sympathies. An ethical sympathy in an artist is an unpardonable mannerism of style. No artist is ever morbid. The artist
can express everything. Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art. Vice and virtue are to the artist
materials for an art. From the point of view of form, the type of all the arts is the art of the musician. From the point of view
of feeling, the actor's craft is the type. [5]
All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Those who read the symbol
do so at their peril. It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors. Diversity of opinion about a work of art shows
that the work is new, complex, and vital. When critics disagree, the artist is in accord with himself. [6]
We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless
thing is that one admires it intensely. [7]
All art is quite useless.
THE PREFACE
The artist is the creator of beautiful things. To reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim.
The critic is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things. [1]
The highest as the lowest form of criticism is a mode of autobiography. Those who find ugly meanings in beautiful things
are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault.
Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope. They are the elect to
whom beautiful things mean only beauty. [2]
There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all. [3]
The nineteenth century dislike of realism is the rage of Caliban seeing his own face in a glass.
The nineteenth century dislike of romanticism is the rage of Caliban not seeing his own face in a glass. [4]
The moral life of man forms part of the subject-matter of the artist, but the morality of art consists in the perfect use of an
imperfect medium. No artist desires to prove anything. Even things that are true can be proved. No artist has ethical
sympathies. An ethical sympathy in an artist is an unpardonable mannerism of style. No artist is ever morbid. The artist
can express everything. Thought and language are to the artist instruments of an art. Vice and virtue are to the artist
materials for an art. From the point of view of form, the type of all the arts is the art of the musician. From the point of view
of feeling, the actor's craft is the type. [5]
All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Those who read the symbol
do so at their peril. It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors. Diversity of opinion about a work of art shows
that the work is new, complex, and vital. When critics disagree, the artist is in accord with himself. [6]
We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless
thing is that one admires it intensely. [7]
All art is quite useless.

3. Aestheticism –
The Cult Of Beauty And Pleasure
 “Art for Art's sake" is proposed in the Preface
In the Trope of the “Faustian” – deal with the devil – (It is
Dorian who chooses the evil ways of his Hedonistic lifestyle)
 Specifics of art's aim is to "reveal the art and conceal
the artist” – creativity has no bounds and no defined
significance if not that of “BEING” object of ART
itself –
 Wilde defines the artist as free of ethical sympathies–
neither good nor wrong.
 Books are seen as only "well written" or "badly
written"  have no moral or amoral quality – we
either agree or we don’t (we like it or we don’t)– but
that is us to impose our ethics on a piece of Art – so it
may shape itself to our idea – “imagined perfection”.

4. Aestheticism –
The Cult Of Beauty And Pleasure
Cynicism prevents us from seeing true beauty or other “pre-
conceptions” – pertaining to a dogmatic view of the world –
THIS keeps us from seeing beauty beneath the uncommon and
what is otherwise considered ugly.
Wilde reacts against the notion of art as having a “specific”
teaching objective – whether the result is marvelous or not --
ART – should exist beyond moral, religious, or practical
purposes
Caliban - capable of reasoning and language but also
physically ugly and criminal (evil). Yet he is at the mercy of
his nature—we fear him in his rage his plotting to overthrow the hero and rape his daughter
BUT we pity him in his deformity and his impotence – we are
emotionally invested (Romantic sensibility)
BUT Caliban is also what we do not like about ourselves when
we examine our SELVES – the Nietzschean Abyss -

5. Aestheticism –
The Cult Of Beauty And Pleasure
We do not like what the mirror shows us  The nineteenth
century dislike of realism is the rage of Caliban seeing his own
face in a glass.
19th
century readers did not like realism because they saw
uncomfortable truths (both as individuals and as a society)
A deliberate contrast with the previous statement – 19th
century
dislike of Romanticism is the rage of Caliban not seeing his
own face in a glass.
Individuals cannot stand reality, so too we cannot handle what
we would like to see but is not being reflected in the mirror.
THE QUESTION IS : How and to what extent should art reflect life ?
Wilde is criticizing both aspects – the artist who reflects life will be
re-creating  the artist who deliberately aims to not reflect life will
be de-constructing – thus making an ethical statement anyway.

6. Aestheticism –
The Cult Of Beauty And Pleasure
 "the highest … lowest form of criticism is …
autobiography".
Wilde claims all criticism reveals more about the author than it
does about the work of art
 Those who see beauty in all things are intellectually
sophisticated. “For these there is hope.”  Because
beautiful things mean only beautybeauty.
 The prevalence of Utilitarian Victorian attitudes and values
in educational institutions intensified social conflict  We
call ourselves a utilitarian age, and we do not know the uses of any single thing.
Oscar Wilde, De Profundis
 Throughout we see a subversion of conventional models of
subjectivity and a strong criticism of the conservative values
that endorse them.
 Wilde considers public opinion as an especially pernicious
vehicle for social conformity  both, corrosive and a threat
to individual freedom (and thought)

7. Aestheticism –
The Cult Of Beauty And Pleasure
 Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril.
 Those who read the symbol do so at their peril. It is
the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors.
All symbols carry energy (a profound significance) 
People who try to rationalize don't really see ART from
its “ulterior” point of view  to try at all costs to find
something to understand  the what and the why of a
painting
 Diversity of opinion about a work of art shows that the
work is new, complex, and vital. When critics disagree,
the artist is in accord with himself.
Statements – a manifesto about the purpose of art, the role of
the artist, and the value of beauty

8. Aestheticism –
The Cult Of Beauty And Pleasure
 We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as
long as he does not admire it.
Metaphorical reference to those aspects of life that cannot
and must not be neatly categorized or understood using
reason alone.
Unapologetic and antiauthoritarian attitude still resonates –
Wilde objectifies beauty – THERE
. . =^.^=The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one
admires it intensely 

10. Damian Hirst

12. Completely Useless –
Completely Awesome