Dorian Gray glanced at the picture, and suddenly an uncontrollable feeling of hatred for Basil Hallward came over him, as though it had been suggested to him by the image on the canvas, whispered into his ear by those grinning lips.
– Oscar Wilde
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Chapter 13. As Dorian looks at his "evil" portrait, a strong metaphorical image is used to explain how he is suddenly overcome by hatred for its painter Basil. The "grinning lips" in the picture are said to have "whispered" it to Dorian. Just before this passage Basil had said to Dorian: "You have done enough evil in your life. My God! Don’t you see that accursed thing leering at us."