Dorian Gray is the subject of a full-length portrait in oil by Basil
Hallward, an artist impressed and infatuated by Dorian's beauty; he
believes that Dorian's beauty is responsible for the new mood in his art as
a painter. Through Basil, Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, and he soon is
enthralled by the aristocrat's hedonistic world view: that beauty and
sensual fulfilment are the only things worth pursuing in life. Newly
understanding that his beauty will fade, Dorian expresses the desire to
sell his soul, to ensure that the picture, rather than he, will age and
fade. The wish is granted, and Dorian pursues a libertine life of varied
amoral experiences while staying young and beautiful; all the while, his
portrait ages and records every sin