Oscar Wilde 
The Picture of Dorian Gray 

Basil Hallward is impressed by Dorian Gray's beauty. He paints a portrait of him and becomes infatuated with him, believing his beauty is responsible for a new mode in his art. Realizing that one day his beauty will fade, Dorian expresses a desire to sell his soul to ensure the portrait Basil has painted would age rather than he. Dorian's wish is fulfilled, and when he subsequently pursues a life of debauchery, the portrait serves as a reminder of the effect each act has upon his soul, with each sin displayed as a disfigurement of his form, or through a sign of aging.