In the centre of the room, clamped to an upright easel, stood the full-length portrait of a young man of extraordinary personal beauty.
– Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Chapter 1. The aesthetic beauty of Dorian Gray is described here on the first page of the novel, when we are introduced for the first time to the portrait of Dorian by Basil Hallward. The infamous picture actually appears before the character of the novel, signifying its importance.