The painter who becomes enamored with Dorian Gray’s beauty and innocence, seeing him as the ideal to which his work has always aspired. He makes Dorian sit for hundreds of portraits. When one day he paints a portrait of true likeness to Dorian, his feelings overwhelm him. It is the best work he has ever done but he is afraid that there is too much of himself in it. After the painting, his artistry becomes average, he can never elevate his work to the perfection that Dorian inspired at his youthful peak. He tries to guide Dorian towards decency, so in love is he with the memory of that innocent boy, but the knowledge of how Basil has dictated his now tortured existence with his painting and his passion, enrages Dorian, who kills Basil. Basil becomes a sad example of a good artist disappearing in sacrifice for Art.
Basil Hallward Quotes in The Picture of Dorian Gray
The The Picture of Dorian Gray quotes below are all either spoken by Basil Hallward or refer to Basil Hallward. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1
Quotes
“He is all my art to me now.”
Related Characters:
Basil Hallward (speaker), Dorian Gray
Related Themes:
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Explanation and Analysis:
“An artist should create beautiful things but should put nothing of his own life into them”
Related Characters:
Basil Hallward (speaker)
Related Symbols:
The Picture
Related Themes:
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Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9
Quotes
“One day, a fatal day I sometimes think, I determined to paint a wonderful portrait of you as you actually are, not in the costume of dead ages, but in your own dress and in your on time.”
Related Characters:
Basil Hallward (speaker), Dorian Gray
Related Symbols:
The Picture
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Basil Hallward Character Timeline in The Picture of Dorian Gray
The timeline below shows where the character Basil Hallward appears in The Picture of Dorian Gray. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
The novel opens in the gorgeous flower-filled rooms of Basil Hallward’s house. Lord Henry Wotton and Basil are together in the studio, considering the portrait...
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Basil says he has put too much of himself into the painting to exhibit it. Lord...
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Realizing he has given away Dorian’s name, Basil confesses that he hadn’t wanted to reveal him to Henry, but had wanted to keep...
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Basil met Dorian Gray at a party. He says that an artist must go into society...
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Lady Brandon, a shrill, social butterfly, brings Basil around to meet some of the guests. Spotting Dorian again, Basil asks to be introduced,...
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Henry mentions that laughter is a good basis for friendship, but Basil teases that Henry knows nothing about friendship. Henry disagrees, he chooses his friends carefully for...
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The subject turns back to Dorian Gray. Basil confesses that he has been spending more and more time with the boy and that...
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Henry desperately wants to meet Dorian now. Basil explains that Dorian will probably not have the same effect for Henry, that it is...
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When asked if Dorian Gray has any fondness for him in return, Basil says he sees a certain affection in Dorian, but he may just be enjoying the...
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...he is very glad to have passed up a tedious lunch for an afternoon at Basil’s instead. He remembers then that he has heard about Dorian’s charms from his Aunt. Basil...
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Chapter 2
Henry and Basil go into the house and find Dorian Gray playing a song at Basil’s piano. Lord...
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Basil is getting nervous at Henry’s affect on the afternoon he had planned. He tells Henry...
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...is not interested in faithfulness and lasting, so they agree to have a capricious friendship. Basil is painting with a great passion. When he is finished, Henry congratulates him. It is...
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...and beautiful forever. He says he will give his soul to trade places. He accuses Basil of only caring about him as much as a statue. The outburst is so unlike...
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Basil tries to comfort Dorian, but he is distraught. He blames Lord Henry, and they quarrel...
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As they have tea, Basil reprimands Henry for saying wild things to Dorian. But Dorian is not put off. When...
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Chapter 3
...his curiosity. The possibilities of influence upon him seemed limitless. Lord Henry also thinks about Basil, and finds the whole story of secret influences and affections very exciting. He vows to...
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...park. Dorian wishes to follow, even though he has made a prior engagement to visit Basil. Henry can’t promise him any more talking but says he may accompany him, and “look...
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Chapter 4
...the theatre - every night is another unmissable heroine. But Dorian does want Henry and Basil to come with him one evening, and help him to free Sybil from her contract...
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Dorian hasn’t been keeping in touch with Basil. The last contact he had was when Basil sent the portrait to him in a...
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Chapter 6
As they dine together, Henry informs Basil that Dorian is to be married. Basil doesn’t believe it, and Henry reminds him that...
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...actually Sybil who first mentioned marriage. Henry comments that this is typical of a woman. Basil scolds him for his rudeness but Dorian’s spirits will not be dampened. He declares himself...
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Chapter 7
When they arrive at the theater, Henry and Basil see firsthand its crude set up and rough-looking crowd. Dorian promises Henry that Sybil will...
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...terrifies Dorian. During the famous balcony scene, Juliet’s words are flat and lifeless. Henry and Basil decide to leave. Henry reassures him that she is very beautiful nonetheless. Love is better...
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...house, where the lamps are still burning. Among the luxurious treasure of his home sits Basil’s portrait. Today, something about it causes him to double-take. The expression on the portrait’s face...
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Chapter 9
Basil arrives at Dorian’s house, and expresses his sympathy for him, and for Sybil Vane and...
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At the mention of what is in store for Sybil’s “little white body”, Dorian orders Basil to stop. He says that the incident is over, he has mastered the emotion of...
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Basil is sickened at the idea of Sybil killing herself but Dorian explains the beauty of...
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Dorian requests that Basil do a portrait of Sybil. Basil agrees but really wants Dorian to sit for him...
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Dorian asks Basil to trade secrets with him. He asks why Basil refused to exhibit the picture at...
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Basil explains that when he met Dorian, he was struck by a strange fascination. Dorian became...
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As soon as Basil had removed the painting from his studio, the curse lifted, and he saw clearly the...
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Basil, set to go home, reaffirms the importance of Dorian and the painting to him, and...
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Chapter 10
With Basil gone, Dorian begins to get suspicious of his servant Victor, imagining him sneaking a glance...
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...showing him his rotten soul. He regrets for a moment not sharing the burden with Basil. He feels a sudden appreciation for the love that Basil showed him, a kind of...
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Chapter 12
...Dorian is approaching his thirty-eighth birthday. Walking home from an evening at Henry’s, he sees Basil Hallward in the street. Dorian pretends he hasn’t seen Basil, but Basil soon catches up...
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Dorian reluctantly invites Basil in, if he promises not to talk about serious things. Despite Dorian’s request, Basil insists...
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Dorian scolds Basil. It is quite the reverse, he claims. It is their own scandalous ways that makes...
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Chapter 13
Dorian leads Basil to the top of the house. He is smiling with a strange pride at what...
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Dorian reminds Basil of the wish he had made on seeing the portrait for the first time. Basil...
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Dorian tells Basil it is too late for prayer, he doesn’t believe in the words. Basil scolds him....
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The sound of Basil’s blood is a horrible drip, drip, drip on the floor of the schoolroom. Dorian goes...
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...up the room and goes down to the library. He says to himself that since Basil was supposed to go to Paris that evening for six months, nobody would suspect anything...
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It occurs to Dorian that he has plenty of time to dispose of Basil’s body. He fetches his servant Francis and asks to be woken early the next morning...
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Chapter 14
...night’s bloody events come back to him. Dorian sickens and feels again the loathing for Basil that had caused him to strike. How strange it is, he considers, to have a...
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...with his servant. He spends some time sketching, but soon the drawings start to resemble Basil Hallward. Determined to distract himself, Dorian goes to the bookshelf and picks an ornately bound...
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...of the portrait, and its gory colors seem even worse to him than those of Basil’s body. Dorian goes in and covers the painting, and leaves Alan Campbell to his work....
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Chapter 15
...at the mention of the previous evening worries him. When he gets home, he burns Basil’s clothes and bag.
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Chapter 16
...around them, each in a state of the forgetfulness that Adrian describes. The memory of Basil haunts Dorian. And so does the presence of his changed old friend. Dorian wants to...
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Chapter 19
The topic turns to Basil’s disappearance, which has now been noted by the police and talked about for some time,...
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...for a pianist, he notes. Dorian asks about the rumors of murder that are following Basil’s case but Henry finds the whole topic quite dull. He says that the only time...
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Dorian asks Henry how he would react if he told him that he had murdered Basil. Henry says that Dorian could never do such a thing. Murderers are low down people....
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