The Studio
Loading image...
The studio is filled with the rich odour of roses, and the heavy scent of lilac drifts through the open door. Basil Hallward, a painter of great renown, stands before an easel, looking at the gracious and comely form he has so skilfully mirrored in his art.
Lying on the divan, smoking innumerable cigarettes, is Lord Henry Wotton. He studies the portrait—a full-length image of a young man of extraordinary personal beauty.
"It is your best work, Basil, the best thing you have ever done," Lord Henry drawls languidly. "You must certainly send it next year to the Grosvenor."
Basil shakes his head oddly. "I will not send it anywhere," he replies, a strange intensity in his voice. "I have put too much of myself into it."