The Picture of Dorian Gray is Wilde’s most famous novel and a manifesto of his aesthetic ideas. It tells the story of Dorian, an extraordinarily handsome young man, whose portrait is painted by an artist, Basil Hallward. After expressing a desire to remain forever young, Dorian discovers that his portrait ages instead of him, reflecting the signs of his sins and moral decay. In the end, the portrait transforms into a monstrous figure, symbolizing Dorian’s corrupted soul, leading to his ultimate destruction.